Maddie Pfeifer
Albany Democrat-Herald, Ore.
(MCT)
Oct. 12—The demolition started with a scavenger hunt of sorts, according to Lt. Erin Nunes.
Lebanon firefighters searched to find some buried treasure in their old station. Firefighter trading cards stashed in the walls of the kitchen were the prize.
Nunes said firefighters hid the cards years ago, and finding them where they left them was pretty special.
What came next was heavy duty construction equipment.
After numerous delays, contractors finally knocked down Station 31, built in the 1970s, to make way for the new facility, which voters opted to fund back in 2019.
“Everyone is excited about the new station coming,” Nunes said. “The lifespan of a fire station is around 40 years, so it’s time for a new one.”
Construction delays
The hope is the station and adjacent office building will be completed by late 2023 or early 2024, according to Lebanon Fire District Chief Joseph Rodondi.
The station was originally scheduled for demolition in the summer of 2021, but rising costs of building materials delayed the project.
“COVID impacted supply chain and the availability of products,” Rodondi said. “It led to an unstable market.”
Project managers paused the multimillion-dollar plans until market conditions stabilized. While lumber prices have dropped since then, inflation is still a problem, officials said.
Making progress
In 2019, voters approved a 26-year, $16 million bond that would fund the building of the new station. At the time, the district estimated the project would cost $13.6 million.
Now visible progress is being made on the project promised to Lebanon community members three years ago.
“For a lot of us, it’s a sigh of relief,” Rodondi said. “We made it through the economic storm. It’s becoming very real.”
On Tuesday, Oct. 11, Rodondi, Nunes and other Lebanon fire personnel watched as crews knocked down the building so well-known to local firefighters.
Nunes, who has been with the agency for 15 years, said every Lebanon firefighter ends up stationed at Station 31 at some point in the career. The Fire District has one other staffed station and three volunteer-based stations.
A sentimental station
To commemorate the end of an era, crews had a pizza party and played laser tag during their last shift at Station 31. That family atmosphere is what Nunes remembers most about the station.
“We would invite our families to the station on holidays we were working,” Nunes said. “My kids opened presents on Christmas and had egg hunts during Easter.”
Although the old station holds fond memories, the new one will serve Lebanon for years to come.
Improvements for the future
Rodondi said the new layout and construction will better utilize the whole property and will have room to grow. The old station had received more than 10 additions and expansions over its lifetime.
The new facility will add firefighter bunks and office space for administrators. The layout will also be more functional, with