Project manager, trustee David See (at podium), Lanette Wagner, fiscal officer and Melissa Horsley, trustee, at the open house for the new Valley Township Fire Station Saturday morning
Residents gather for the open house at the new Valley Township Fire Station in Lucasville Saturday morning
Valley Township in Lucasville, Ohio is the site of a brand new fire station. Located on Robert Lucas Road, the new fire station is able to hold the newest model fire trucks, something the old station could not do.
“It was desperately needed,” project manager and township trustee David See said. “The old station was just inadequate. It was no longer large enough to hold new vehicles. The new fire truck is bigger now and the new truck would just not fit into the old station.”
The Valley Township community turned out Saturday morning for an open house with refreshments and a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“It’s exciting,” Valley Township Fire Chief Teri Horton said. “It’s a day I thought would never get here. We prayed so hard. I’m excited for the community. This is a big thing for the community and I’m so glad so many of them came out to help share this day.”
See said the finished facility is a culmination of years of planning.
“It has been many years of hard work to realize a dream that the township has had for a long time,” See said. “The community is blessed with this beautiful new facility that will respond to its needs for many years to come.”
In addition to it’s newness, there is an efficiency that comes with the new location.
“It’s more responsive,” Horton said. “We can get out. We’re more centrally located in the township and it’s so much easier to get out. We also have our large apron that keeps us from backing out on the street, where (before) we were right out in the middle of traffic trying to back the trucks in.”
The first time the new fire station was put on the ballot, it failed. The second time around, it passed by a single vote and there was a delay because of a challenge to that vote. The project was finally authorized and Mullins Construction of Wheelersburg, Ohio was awarded the project which they broke ground on in February of this year.
Horton said the township already owned the property where the building is, saving taxpayers having to purchase another piece of property. In addition to the building, a 3,000 gallon tanker will be arriving in February.
“It’s definitely an asset to the community and I hope they see that,” Horton said.
Reach Frank Lewis at 740-353-3101, ext. 1928, or on Twitter @franklewis.
