Jackson breaks ground on new fire station

Jackson city and fire officials broke ground Tuesday on a new fire station that will help double the number of on-duty firefighters and reduce response times.

Mayor Barbara Lohr and roughly a dozen aldermen and firefighters shoveled into the dirt at what will be the Jackson Fire Department's second station at 2448 S. Old Orchard Road. The new building, which will sit at the base East Elevated Water Tower along Interstate 55, will be 4,600 square feet and house a crew of three firefighters at all times, Jackson fire chief Jason Mouser said.

Three firefighters are currently always on duty, and the additional three will give the department a boost. Thanks to a higher population and more people passing through Jackson, the department has received more calls in recent years, Mouser said.

In 2010 the station received 1,364 calls, a jump from the 1,235 calls received in 2009.

"We'll be able to respond better and help maintain good insurance property rates," Mouser said, adding that there were 80 instances last year when one crew received multiple calls at the same time.

If one crew was attending to an emergency, another would be available in case of a second call, Mouser said.

The construction of the new station will cost roughly $900,000, said assistant city administrator Larry Koenig. Once Lohr formed a committee to look into building the new station four years ago, the board of aldermen allocated money to fund its construction. The building should be completed by March if inclement weather does not hinder progress, Lohr said.

A sales tax voted into existence in November will fund the satellite station's operations, including personnel and equipment, Lohr said.

Total sales tax rate in Jackson would rise to 6.7975 percent. The tax, which took effect in April, passed 3,073 votes to 1,788 votes. The city's eight-member board of aldermen was split 5-3 on placing the tax on the ballot, citing concerns with the proposed location. Some aldermen said the location was too far away from most of the population.

Lohr said a second fire station has been in the works for almost seven years, and she is delighted to finally see ground broken on a new facility. A growing concern for the response time for a fire on the far east side of the city, particularly the back side of the Bent Creek area and Klaus Park, helped fuel the project, she said.

"This is really going to help our community as we grow larger," she said.

psullivan@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent address:

2448 S Old Orchard Rd