WOODLAND — Firefighters can easily see light passing through the cracks in the exterior of their old fire station. When it rains the roof drips water onto the floors, and if an earthquake ever hit, they aren’t sure if the tired building could withstand the rumbling.
The old fire station at 100 Davidson Ave. hasn’t seen any major remodels or upgrades since it was built in the late 1970s. But by late summer, firefighters will relocate to a new $1.5 million station on East Scott Avenue.
“I’m very excited for our firefighters to be able to have a new, safe, modern building to work in and to have enough space for all the equipment,” said John Nohr, fire chief for Clark County Fire & Rescue, which provides contract emergency services to Woodland.
The city of Woodland is using $1 million left over from a 2012 public safety bond, plus another $500,000 from a bond the city took out for the project. Even with those additional funds, the city can’t afford to build as big of a fire station as the department needs, so instead it’s breaking the project in two phases.
The first phase will include a 3,000-square-foot garage where firefighters can park four emergency vehicles. It will also house uniform and equipment storage and a decontamination room. Nearby, there will be a 1,400-square-foot mobile home that will act as an office and living quarters until the city can afford to build the second half of the station.
Construction workers had to drive 99 concrete pilings into the ground to meet earthquake standards for critical infrastructure. Already Tumwater-based Big Rock Construction has erected the bright red steel frame of the garage, and the company will soon add siding to the building. Battle Ground-based Johansson Architecture designed the station.
At full build-out at 15,500 square feet, the station will one day allow crews to store all of their vehicles and equipment in once place, instead of dividing them in two stations as they do currently, Nohr said.
The Scott Avenue location is more centrally located than the previous spot and will improve responses, he said.
“We’re just really excited to be seeing it come together. … It’s going to be a great step up for our crews and our ability to respond appropriately in our neighborhood,” Nohr said.
