Groundbreaking Held For New Fire Station

Chattanooga city officials gathered at a 3250 8^th Avenue in East Lake Thursday morning to kick off construction of a new fire station. The old Station 9 was constructed in 1929 and its replacement was badly needed. Ground was broken for a new, larger Station 9 that will be much more energy efficient. Addressing those present, Mayor Andy Berke said building this new, modern fire station will make the East Lake community safer.

After Fire Chief Lamar Flint and City Councilman Chris Anderson made brief remarks, it was time to take up some shovels for the groundbreaking. Joining them were city council members Larry Grohn, Yusuf Hakeem, Jerry Mitchell and Ken Smith, state representative Vince Dean, representatives of the architect’s who drew up the plans for the new station, and several residents of the East Lake community. The project is expected to cost $1.3 million and will take roughly 180 days to complete.

Here are facts about the old and new stations:

The original Station 9, located at 3701 6^th Avenue, was constructed in 1929. 

Construction on its replacement is scheduled to begin in early fall of 2013. 

The new Station 9, located at 3250 8^th Avenue, will cost approximately $1.3 million. 

Completion of the project is expected to take approximately 180 calendar days. 

Staffing will continue with 15 firefighters, with 5 working each of the 3 shifts. 

The station will house one fully equipped, front-line fire apparatus. The second bay can house additional vehicles and equipment if necessary. 

Architect: Artech Design Group 

General Contractor: Cherokee Construction Company 

Features of the new station:

One-story, double bay fire station.

LEED-certified building. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) was developed by the U.S. Building Council to establish standards for environmentally sustainable construction.

Low maintenance floor.

Fully sprinklered building.

Fire pole feature sculpture will display the original fire pole from the original Station 9.

Building equipped with a generator powered by natural gas so the station can remain operational during power outages or natural disasters.

Intended to act as a neighborhood public facility and is designed with the neighborhood in mind.

Designed to fit into the residential character and scale of 8^th Avenue.

The original Station 9, at 3701 6^th Avenue, was constructed in 1929.