This station's been in the works for a little over a year and a half. There were some issues around the time of the partial government shutdown that delayed construction on the site. Mashburn Construction is building the fire station and anticipates a grand opening sometime in March of 2020.

"There really aren't these services out in the area, and this is an area that's growing both huge and economically in the number of homes that are coming into this area," Vice President of the Coastal Division for Mashburn Construction Richard Kinard said. "So this fire station will be serving all those areas for Cane Bay and the surrounding areas between there and Whitesville."

The renderings of what the future fire station will look like include two separate buildings. One side is office and residential while the other side is the garage for the fire trucks.

Ozark Fire Protection District Board of Directors President Jay Johnson pointed out that Ozark has not built a new fire station in 33 years.

The Ozark Fire Protection District is now staffed around the clock by paid firefighters tasked with covering emergencies in a 110-square mile area. They work in shifts of 48 hours on the clock followed by 96 hours off.

In 2013, inspectors discovered a significant and dangerous amount of mold growing inside the former Ozark Fire Station No. 2 on North 22nd Street. Also in 2013, voters narrowly approved a 25-cent property tax levy increase, from 38 to 63 cents per $100 assessed valuation, to fund upgrades to equipment and staffing. 

The new vehicle, which is expected to take up to 10 months to build and deliver, will replace a 24-year-old truck that fire department officials said is developing mechanical problems.  

The department, based in Pretty Prairie, will use $210,000 accumulated in its equipment fund toward the $292,545 purchase from Nebraska-based Danko Emergency Equipment.

The remained of the purchase will be covered under a four-year lease-purchase agreement funded by People’s Bank and Trust in Hutchinson at 3.5 percent interest, County Administrator Gary Meagher advised the county commission.