New fire substation opens this Friday
McMinnville’s first fire substation will be officially open for business after Friday’s planned public celebration and open house – all after more than 30 years of gridlock.
Officials are planning a ribbon-cutting ceremony set for 2 p.m. Friday, followed by an open house for the general public scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m.
The station, called Fire Station 2, was bid out at $291,815 and is the result of a great deal of planning and discussion. The proposed location of the substation changed over the years.
After much discussion, officials most recently decided a substation site located near the corner of North Chancery Street and the Highway 70 Bypass would be cumbersome and decided to locate the substation site to Old Smithville Road. The North Chancery Street property was exchanged along with $40,000 for the Park Theater earlier this year.
Officials broke ground on the substation last fall, saying it would decrease response times in the northern and western sides of town.
“I think it looks nice and it’s something you can be proud of in years to come,” McMinnville Fire Chief Kevin Lawrence told city officials Monday after announcing the open house.
Lawrence has said response times will decrease from between eight and 14 minutes to two or three in the affected areas.
He initially expected the substation to be manned by four people, and in recent months, city officials approved allowing the ambulance service to stay there as well.