The town of Artesia will soon have a new fire station, thanks to a rural development grant.
The old station overlooked 112 N. Front St. for more than three decades, but it was demolished in September to make room for a new one to be constructed at the same site.
It’s a much-needed improvement, said Lowndes County Fire Administrator Sammy Fondren.
Though the new building will only be 2,400 square feet — not much bigger than the old one — it will be designed to accommodate modern equipment, specifically larger fire trucks.
The old wooden frame building was falling apart, Fondren said, and new fire trucks had to be parked outside. “We couldn’t even put a piece of modern equipment in there.”
The $250,000 project was funded in part by a Community Facilities Program match grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA provided $186,500 for the project, and the town of Artesia contributed $63,500, 25 percent of the project, according to Megan Pittman, state public information officer for the USDA.
The new station will consist of a 40-by-60 metal building, painted in a beige and terra cotta color scheme. It will have two truck bays, a chief’s office, a storage room and a restroom.
Calvert-Spradling Engineers of West Point handled the design. Gulf States Manufacturers of Starkville is the building manufacturer, and 4-D Construction of Louisville is the contractor.
Ground was broken on the project in November, and it’s slated for completion March 12. Kenny Ray Dempsey, CEO of 4-D, said even though recent rains have slowed things down, he feels confident the station will be finished on time.
“They’ve done everything in their power to help us get that thing complete,” Dempsey said of Artesia’s town officials. “Anything we asked for, they have met above and beyond.”
He’s tried to keep the money in the community, hiring and purchasing within a 60-mile radius whenever possible.
“It’s probably one of the nicest departments I’ve seen designed,” Dempsey said.
Artesia Town Clerk Teresa Sanders said she and the other town residents are excited about the new station, and she hopes it results in lower insurance costs for homeowners.
But Fondren cautioned that a lot of factors go into earning a better fire rating from the state, which can reduce insurance costs, and right now, the biggest challenge Artesia faces is a shortage of volunteers. He has around 20 volunteers to staff the four stations in District 5, but he’d like to have twice that many.
“With any luck, the station will be a catalyst to draw members,” Fondren said. “Because we can have the grandest station down there and top-of-the-line trucks, but without the manpower to operate them and fight fires, they’re useless.”
Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer firefighter should contact Fondren at 662-251-5152.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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