With a projected finish date of late 2017 and a cost of $6.5 million funded through city sales tax, construction of the new Russellville Central Fire Station is underway. Fire Marshal Richard Setian said all of the bids came in under budget. Van Horn Construction is the primary contractor.
He said the new station is being structurally built to meet federal standards.
"From a response standpoint the building will meet FEMA standards, which means it will be better protected if a big storm came through as well as the firefighters," Setian said. "It will be bigger and equipped with the latest technology making it more efficient for day-to-day operations and response."
He said with the design, they will also have the ability to expand at some point.
The new station will be 24,849 square feet, span one half of a city block, and three stories tall with the exception of the training tower which is designed to be four stories.
The drill tower or training tower is a new addition to the Russellville Fire Department, Setian said.
"The tower will give the firefighters the ability to train with fire protection," he said. "It will offer a stairwell (for practice climbing), repelling and a standpipe sprinkler system."
Another addition for the fire department will be a wellness and fitness room.
The first floor will include all necessary apparatuses for the fire department.