LOCAL NEWS

Central fire station to be five-year project for city


By Conrad Easterday
Washita Valley Weekly Editor

While Newcastle is spending $11 million to $12 million on a new fire station, and Edmond has estimated $8 million for its new facility, Chickasha will spend just $2 million to $2.5 million, officials say. The city intends to lower the price tag for Chickasha residents by renovating and remodeling the former Chief Fire & Safety Co., Inc. buildings at 927 S. 4th St.
Chief relocated to Oklahoma City, presenting Chickasha with an opportunity to establish a centrally-located third fire station and provide residents with increased fire protection, Fire Chief Tony Samaniego said.
“I heard they were moving, and I tried to think outside the box with the idea of saving the citizens money,” Samaniego said. “I just looked at the buildings as a whole and asked myself, ‘can this be a fire station?’”
The answer turned out to be yes.
With an already completed building at an established site, Chickasha will avoid the regulatory hurdles that inflate the cost of new construction. Environmental impact studies along with extensive engineering and architectural work will be non-existent or much reduced by using the Chief buildings. And of course, new construction itself is necessarily more expensive than existing buildings. In this case, the two main buildings are already equipped with bay doors for trucks and equipment or can be easily converted.
A total of three buildings were purchased in late January for $1 million, Samaniego said. Grady County 522 EMS District contributed to the purchase price. To make the new location a fully operational Station 3 will require an additional $1 million to $1.5 million.
The city currently has fire stations in its northwest and southwest corners. Station 1 is at 1 1700 Harly Day Dr. Station 2 is at 1628 W. Country Club Dr. Station 3 will be more centered.
“It’s going to provide greater coverage and faster response times,” Samaniego said. “Not only for us in the city but in the eastern part of the county where we run the ambulance. The Fire Department provides EMS service for all of central Grady County — 500 square miles.”
Not all the details of the redesign are set in stone, the chief explained, but they do know that an ambulance and probably the ladder truck will be housed at Station 3. The office area or the north building will become bedrooms and a living area for the firefighters.
“Our goal is to have it fully staffed and operational in five years,” he added. “We’re just exploring our options.”
The new sales tax will contribute to some equipment needs for the department. More funding will be allocated as it becomes available. With five years to complete the station, the city has options for accomplishing other projects without sacrificing any, Samaniego said. He credited others for making Station 3 possible.
“I’m very thankful for the city manager and the City Council having the foresight to keep Chickasha moving forward,” the fire chief said.

Chickasha Today

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