Albany likely will need more branch fire stations soon, probably one each in the northeast and southeast corners of town, Chief John Bradner said. But when it comes to main stations, he said, the one under construction on Lyon Street should be the last one the city will ever need.
At two stories and 24,300 square feet, the new station is about 10,000 square feet bigger than its predecessor.
The $7.5 million building will have a ground-floor apparatus bay with room for up to 10 vehicles. And for the first time, that bay will be open on both sides, which means trucks won't have to turn around and back in but can pull directly through whether they're coming from either direction.
A lobby with an antique fire truck on display will greet first-floor visitors, Bradner said. The rest of the first floor will be office space and a training room that can be accessed by the community.
Upstairs, crews will find individual bunk rooms as opposed to the large, dorm-style room partitioned off by a handful of dividers that the old Station 11 had.
There will be locker rooms and showers for both men and women, a large kitchen and dining area and more office space, and an outdoor patio to bring in light and fresh air.
The new station also will boast two brass fire poles for firefighters to slide down: a new one and the pole salvaged from the old building, which was salvaged from an even earlier structure and might date back to the early 1900s, Bradner said.