NEW CITY FIRE STATION OPEN TO TOURS SUNDAY

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- A flag ceremony will highlight the commissioning and open house Sunday of the city's $550,000, Number 2 Fire Station at 378 South Mount Auburn Road.

A color guard from Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3838 and Boy Scouts from Troop 5 will participate in the ceremony, said Fire Chief Gene Hindman.

The chief said the VFW color guard will stand by as the scouts raise the American flag, then lower it, attach the Missouri flag, and raise both to the top of the flag pole where they will fly 24 hours a day.

City officials are expected to attend the ceremony and open house along with other dignitaries, active and retired firefighters and the general public.

"In the past we've always cut a ribbon to signify the opening of a building, but I thought we'd do something a little different this time," the chief said. "We had planned this well before the war began in the Persian Gulf, so the ceremony Sunday will have a special significance in view of the demonstrations that have been taking place recently."

Hindman said the ceremony will pay tribute to the men and women from Cape Girardeau who are serving in the military service in the Persian Gulf. It will also be a tribute to Firefighter Mike Morgan, who left Jan. 10 to begin active duty in Saudi Arabia with the Navy Seabees, he said.

"We will also place a large, yellow ribbon on the front wall of the fire station to remind everyone of what is taking place in the Persian Gulf," Hindman said.

The open house will be from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The flag ceremony will start at 2 p.m. at the flag pole in front of the station.

The chief issued an invitation to everyone to attend the ceremony and tour the fire station. Refreshments will be served.

"Before and after the flag ceremony, we'll have guided tours of the fire station, with firefighters on hand to answer any questions," the chief said. "We'll also have all of our fire-fighting equipment at the fire station on display and available for inspection by the public."

Hindman said a videotape showing the various stages of construction of the station will be shown on a large-screen television throughout the afternoon. The tape was made by the chief over a one-year period.

Construction of the 6,500-square-foot station was the dream of at least three fire chiefs: the late Carl Lewis; Charles Mills, who retired several years ago; and Hindman.

The station is situated on a 1.6-acre tract. The station replaced the original Number 2 station that was built 38 years ago in the 1600 block of Independence.

Hindman said the fire department has needed a station in the far west end of the city to serve the growing west-end commercial and residential areas.

Ground for the station was broken May 28, after a 30-day delay caused by wet weather. The building was completed in late December, and become operational Jan. 7, when the fire-fighting equipment was relocated from the Independence Street station.

Except for some new building glitches that always occur, Hindman said there have been no major problems with the new building.

"To tell the truth, I'm pretty proud of the way the station looks," he said. "It's shaping up the way I wanted it to look. We have made some minor adjustments that were overlooked during the planning and construction phase, such as adding a few electrical outlets. It's amazing what you miss on the blueprints. You tend to look over the little things when you're concentrating on the big things."

The general contractor was Kiefner Brothers Inc. of Cape Girardeau. The chief praised the contractor for his excellent work, and pointed out the building was completed four months ahead of schedule despite the 30-day-wet-weather delay.

Hindman said the station is apparently very popular with the firefighters. "I had one firefighter's wife tell me the other day that he was spending a lot more time at the new station."

The chief said the station is completely functional with no wasted space. It has been designed for future growth and expansion as the need arises.

"We have room in the bunk room for two additional men, and the truck bay can hold up to six pieces of equipment," he said. "As soon as possible, I want to replace the pumper fire truck at Number 2 with a telesquirt pumper truck similar to the one Jackson has."

The building has been built to seismic code and has an emergency power generator in the partial basement.

The chief said the station on Independence will be sold. He said sealed bids on the building can be submitted until 10 a.m. Feb. 19 to the city's finance officer at city hall.

For additional information on the building, contact the fire chief at 334-3211.