"This is the last historic fire station that the city still owns," Ferraro said.

After the first phase of renovations, the 109-year-old former KDPS building will serve as a community resource center, hosting programming by the city's Parks and Recreation Department and other community events.

The community is invited to take a tour and celebrate its reopening from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18. Residents can learn about the history and future use of the building, hear from a former firefighter who was stationed at the firehouse, learn about upcoming programming, and enjoy complimentary refreshments from area restaurants.

Station 5 is located on the corner of Douglas Avenue and North Street, near the Stuart, Northside and Douglas/Fairmont neighborhoods. Ferraro said the new building will house various kinds of meetings, events and after-school and summer camp programs held by the parks and recreation department.

The station was built to accommodate Kalamazoo's growing population in the early 1900s. Its typical characteristics include a gabled roof, stucco and half-timbered walls, and large arches with keystones. The columns are decorated with imposts.

Van Volkenburg was a Kalamazoo architect who also designed Engine House 3 on Charlotte Street and Fire Station 6 at the southwest corner of Wheaton and South Westnedge Avenues, as well as the demolished Central Fire Station formerly at the northeast corner of East Lovell and South Burdick Streets

The station's opening adds an additional engine, ladder truck and medic unit to the county's fleet.

Fire Station 10 was relocated fro Russell Road and Buford Drive to a new building at 1131 Rock Springs Rd. in unincorporated Lawrenceville.

“You’re looking at a truck of this caliber at a $100,000 so with this donation we can use that $100,000 towards bringing up our fleet or another truck,” Joe Foster, Fire Chief of Livingston Parish Fire Department.

The August flooding in Louisiana was dubbed as the worst natural disaster in the US since Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

The estimates for the cost of the repairs was about $41,000. More problems have been found with the truck since then.

"We're pushing real hard at sixty grand," said Supervisor Dennis Dickinson.

Larry Vander Molen of the Dewitt-based Vander Molen Fire Apparatus told the Town Board on Monday that the initial estimate was based upon a list of repairs that was handed to the apparatus company. When the company got going with the work, it was discovered that the rear brakes were in as bad shape as the front brakes and there was damage to the climbing ladder. The radiator also needed to be repaired.

The rear brakes and the radiator were addressed. About $45,000 has been spent so far, according to Vander Molen.

The town of Lake George pays a flat amount to the fire department per a contract. Dickinson said the town has not received a list of expenditures from the fire department.

Chief Jason Berry was not at the meeting. He had just returned to work following his honeymoon.