ELIZABETHTOWN — Firefighters and rescue personnel won’t be long getting into their new home.
Construction on the new fire station headquarters in Elizabethtown has had steady progress since a summer delay for materials. Town Manager Eddie Madden said the project is expected to finish in the spring.
”The fire and rescue building is on schedule,” Madden said. “Interior drywall installation will begin in January.”
The original date of occupancy was expected to be Dec. 9. That changed in the summer, when the steel building supplier had about a two months delay in delivery.
The facility is being constructed on the corner of Cypress and Broad streets where Jessup Motors used to operate. This is a $3.2 million project funded by a grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation.
The new facility will have six truck bays, up two from what exists now, that face Cypress Street. It will also have sleeping quarters, training areas, equipment storage and office space for both the Fire Department and the Rescue Squad.
DeVane Builders of Elizabethtown won the bid for contracting services; the architectural design is by J.T. Cox & Associates Architects of Richmond, Virginia, in collaboration with W.K. Dickson and Associates of Raleigh.
Elizabethtown’s Rescue Squad building on Mercer Mill Road was damaged by Hurricane Matthew in October 2016. The town provided temporary space for equipment and personnel at the existing Fire Department building on Swanzy Street.
”Site work is underway,” Madden said. “Metal roof installation is complete as is the exterior brick work. The project is slated to wrap up in mid-March.”
Town officials have calculated that the move will enable the Swanzy Street fire station to be repurposed as the Public Services Department and save the town of Elizabethtown more than $200,000. One fire truck will still operate from Swanzy Street; that means the fire district boundaries are not required to be modified.
The new Elizabethtown fire station, as seen from East King Street, will also house the town’s rescue squad.
The new Elizabethtown fire station, as seen from East Broad Street, is expected to open in March.
The new Elizabethtown fire station six truck bays, up two from what exists now, that face Cypress Street.