Cathy Spaulding
Muskogee Phoenix, Okla.
(TNS)

Muskogee’s vacant post office building has been torn down so preparation can begin on a new public safety building.

The post office, 525 W. Okmulgee Ave., is among several buildings being razed for the Bass Reeves Memorial Public Safety Building. The public safety facility will house Muskogee Police Department, Muskogee County Emergency Medical Service, Muskogee County Emergency Management, part of Muskogee Fire Department, and part of Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office.

The facility is funded by a temporary 0.849% sales tax Muskogee County voters approved in January.

Muskogee County EMS Director Laurel Havens said work on the new facility is expected to start in January 2026.

“Plans for where the building is going to sit are done,” Havens said. “Interior plans are about 85% done. Those will be done and submitted and finalized at the end of this month, then it will go to engineering to start all the drawings.”

When space for the post office is cleared, buildings at Fifth Street and Okmulgee will be demolished to allow expansion of Muskogee Civic Center parking lot, Havens said. Buildings east of Muskogee Fire Department, 505 Columbus Ave., will be torn down, he said. An attorney’s office at Sixth Street and Okmulgee will remain standing.

The post office was vacated in 2019 when the U.S. Postal Service moved to Arrowhead Mall. The empty building became a marijuana growing facility, prompting numerous complaints about the area’s smell, Muskogee Police Chief Johnny Teehee has said.

The public safety sales tax also funds free ambulance runs for Muskogee County residents, a replacement for the York Street fire station and new public safety buildings in Warner, Haskell and Fort Gibson.

Construction of the Warner, Haskell and Fort Gibson facilities is expected to start in January, Havens said.

© 2025 the Muskogee Phoenix (Muskogee, Okla.). Visit muskogeephoenix.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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By Megan Ciampo

Spartan Emergency Response officially broke ground Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025, on a transformative $20 million expansion project at its Brandon, South Dakota, facility. The event marked the beginning of a three-phase project that will significantly increase and enhance the company’s production capabilities, furthering its commitment to innovation in emergency response solutions.

The expansion project is designed to support Spartan’s continued growth, to meet the increasing demand for apparatus, and to add additional jobs to the region, all while staying focus on Spartan’s core mission—putting first responders first.

The project will include three phases, each focusing on expansion, innovation, and enhancements. The new facility will allow Spartan ER to scale production of vehicles while maintaining high standards of quality and safety.

The groundbreaking ceremony drew a crowd of approximately 100 people, including state and local government officials, South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden, fire apparatus dealers, Spartan and REV Group Inc. employees, and community leaders.

The ceremony featured remarks from Mike Virnig, President of REV Group Inc., and Chag Knigge, General Manager of Spartan Emergency Response, as well as Brandon, SD, Mayor Harry Buck, and Gov. Rhoden. Following the speeches, the government officials and Spartan employees gathered for the ceremonial turning of the soil, hard hats and shovels included.

Attendees were also treated to a showcase of Spartan’s latest fire apparatus, a walkaround tour of the existing manufacturing facility, and more.

The impact of this expansion will stretch far beyond the attendees of the event, though. REV Group Inc. says this new facility space will increase production by 40%, improve material flow, improve delivery time to customers, and greatly reduce lead times for fully custom products.

When asked about the expansion’s impact on production time, Vernig said, “If I had to guess, 25% increased throughput of the S-180s. The rest of the increase we’re going to see, 75% of that, will be for the custom units we build.”

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CLAYTON SIDENBENDER
The Elkhart Truth, Ind.
(TNS)

ELKHART — City officials, fire department leaders and community members gathered Monday to break ground on the city’s first new fire station in two decades.

The fire station will replace the old Fire Station 6 located on 1023 Oslo Road and the new station will be located on 2620 Ada Drive.

According to Fire Chief Rodney Dale, the last station that was built was Fire Station 4 on the corner of Oak and Mishawaka streets.

“We are adding to complement what’s necessary to serve this northeast quadrant relative to our fire department,” Mayor Rod Roberson said. “And it’s important that we add this station, which is why the excitement of firefighters are pretty obvious as well as the administration. You only build fire stations 20, 30 years apart.”

The project will cost about $9 million. It is expected to be completed by September 2026.

Despite potential financial challenges in the coming years due to state tax reform measures, the city had saved cash reserves for the project, Roberson said.

“This one has been in the funnel for a minute and we had already saved,” Roberson said. “Our city, with respect to reserves, is in some of best financial shape out of cities in the state, and so we have adequate reserves. We also have done really, really well given that our budgets have been very strong over the last couple of years. We put together a really strong plan to be financially prudent, so we didn’t have to borrow or go into deeper debt in order to do this station.”

Fire Station 6 and the Hively Avenue Overpass projects will be unaffected by Senate Enrolled Act 1, Roberson said in a news conference last week. However, other projects will either be delayed or canceled due to financial constraints caused by the legislation, he said.

The fire department is already in the process of hiring the personnel for the new station, Dale said. The station will also have a fairly new fire engine.

“It’s going to serve our residents better,” Dale said.

Ambulance services have to come from Central Fire Station because the current Fire Station 6 cannot house an ambulance vehicle. The new station will help with more efficient response times for both ambulances and fire engines, Dale said.

More bays will also be available to house fire engines. The current Fire Station 6 only has one bay.

© 2025 The Elkhart Truth (Elkhart, Ind).. Visit www.elkharttruth.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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For the first time in decades, the Branford (FL) Volunteer Fire Department on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, unveiled a brand-new fire apparatus, wcjb.com reported.

Fire rescue personnel, local football players, and residents participated in the official push-in ceremony to welcome the new engine, the report said.

This marks the first new fire apparatus purchased by the department since 1981, according to the report.

The pumper cost $475,000 and was funded through state grants, the report said.

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