New Firehouse Taking Shape Along Missouri 179
A new Jefferson City Fire Station No. 3 is about 70 percent complete.
Located just off Rock Hill Road, the $2.2 million facility will replace the Industrial Drive station, which was built in 1966. The new firehouse will feature separate men’s and women’s housing, and can serve as a backup location for the 911 center. Officials say that having this location should reduce response times by an average of more than two minutes.
The funds to build the station come primarily from the city’s half-cent capital improvements sales tax.
Jefferson City Interim Fire Chief Jason Turner said they anticipate taking possession of the property in late May or early June.
“One of the most important things is that this will be a hardened structure, providing for the safety of our firefighters in case of tornadoes,” he said. “None of our other stations have this. It also has a pull through bay so or trucks won’t have to back in off the street they can just pull around back and drive through to get inside.”
This station will house an engine company and a ladder company and Turner said there should be five to six people per shift around the clock at the station.
“This will adapt to the city’s growth for the next 30-40 years instead of just getting by with what we’ve got today,” he said. “It’s long overdue.”
Turner said the old station three on Industrial will probably be put up for sale once they get everything moved into the new station.
Missouri American Water also is building a water tower on the site. Company officials said it’s a 1.5 million gallon tank and will be 160 feet tall. The new tower should add storage capacity to the company’s water system and help the system maintain pressure when large amounts of water are used in instances such as fighting fires. The tower will also replace an underground water storage tank at the company’s West Main Street Plant that is 80-100 years old.
Work on the tank should be completed this fall. It’s about a $3.6 million investment in Jefferson City’s water system.
** Source: Written by Jeff Haldiman, News Tribune
