After more than a year of construction, about 30 guests and city officials gathered in a new Waco fire station at 1325 N. Fifth St. Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the building’s completion.
The station, number seven of 14, is 4600 square feet in size and cost about $1 million, Waco Fire Chief John Johnston said.
Station No. 7, which was built with money approved as part of a $63 million city bond in 2007, replaces another at North 15th Street and Herring Avenue that was built in 1960.
The change came as the result of both the building’s age and location. Johnston said the Herring Avenue location had some overlap with another fire station, and the new one was meant to be closer to downtown, as a result of neighborhood growth, to maximize the city’s resources and accommodate changing fire technology.
“The station we were in was getting a little austere,” firefighter Greg Kistler said.
Fisseler said construction on the new station began in October 2013, and it took a little over a year to complete because of heavy rains this past summer.
The design includes four beds, a living room, kitchen and two large drive-through bays to house the engines. Station Nos. 12 and 14, at 3300 Flat Rock Road and 5401 Speegleville, respectively, have the same layout.
For more information, view www.wacotrib.com
