Fire station getting new driveway

If you wondered why there seems to be so many fire trucks at Fire Station No. 1 on Cleveland Street, the answer is at Station No. 2 on Denton Road.

The concrete pad in front of the Denton Road station is being replaced. The old surface was breaking up some due to aging but another problem is that fire trucks have just gotten heavier since 2011 when work was last done.

Rain this past week held up work some but part of the old concrete has been removed and the work may be completed this week with dry weather. Cost for the project was estimated at about $40,000.

Fire Chief Mark Whiteside has talked about plans to expand the station as well.

It was built in 1996 and the department has outgrown it, he said. A proposed 30 by 60 foot addition would provide a sleeping area, workout area, bathroom and laundry room. He said now the sleeping area is crowded with firefighters having beds only two to three feet apart for social distancing. The laundry room would allow firefighters to return from a call and remove contaminated clothing there rather than exposing it to other parts of the station.

Fire protection funds can be used for the project rather than tax money.