Athens city council Monday was presented with an ordinance authorizing the issuance of $9 million in bonds to help finance a new fire station, reports athensmessenger.com. The proposed site is a Stimson Avenue Ohio University property.

The ordinance says the bonds will help finance the costs of construction, site improvements, and acquiring furniture and equipment, the report says. One concern about the project is that the site is on a flood plain.

Earlier: Athens (OH) Seeks $9M for New Fire Station

Voters recently passed a tax increase of one half a percent that will assist with construction; the tax increase would help pay for the bonds.

In addition, council held the first reading of an ordinance approving the final design, engineering, and construction services for the new facility, which would allow the spending of up to $670,000 for the services, according to the report.

Below, see Athens Chief Robert Rymer discuss the Headquarters Replacement Plan:

After a few months in a temporary facility, New Braunfels firefighters have cut the ribbon and moved into their new $6.7 million home at Station 3.

The new 12,000-square-foot station, on Hanz Drive to serve the northeast side of the city, was approved in 2019 as part of the bond program, reports herald-zeitung.com.

It houses six firefighters and three apparatus: an engine, brush truck, and medical transport unit. It also features a kitchen, living quarters, day room, and gym facilities.

The project included demolishing the previous 3,700-square-foot, 1981-built structure, the report says. Officials say the former station had “simply served its useful life and needed to be replaced.”

New Braunfels-based Seidel Construction served as contractor for the project. Brown Reynolds Watford Architects designed the two-story structure.

During construction, crews and gear were kept on the grounds of New Braunfels Utilities’ Headwaters at the Comal facility on East Klingemann Street, according to the report.

Lawrence Township officials recently voted to purchase a $1,070,821 Pierce quint for the Bolivar Volunteer Fire Department, reports thebargainhunter.com.

The apparatus, which will replace the department’s 1993 ladder and ‘98 pumper, had been talked about for two years. The truck will be in the township’s name, but the Bolivar Volunteer Fire Department and the village of Zoar will share ownership, the report says.

The department is allocating $250,000 toward a $500,000 down payment, with the remainder being covered by the township and the villages of Bolivar and Zoar.

Related: Zoar (OH) Volunteer Fire Department Facing Eviction

Monday’s damage to the Stevens County Fire District #2’s fleet has been—and will continue to be—a problem and cause delays, officials say.

“I was on my way to [a] meeting and saw the rollup door was open as I drove by,” said Rick Anderson – Fire Chief, as reported by FA. “Upon closer inspection, Brush 272, a white 2008 F550 4×4 Type 6 fire truck was missing from the station. In addition, a second fire truck was extensively damaged due to the batteries being cut out of their holder and significant amount of equipment was stolen for it.”

The department has put out notice that the loss of its two vehicles will delay responses.

Officials say the department usually responds in about 15 minutes. However, with it relying on neighboring stations for apparatus, there’s another 15-20 minutes tacked onto that, reports krem.com. Hunters is the next available truck, officials say.

With wildfire season fast approaching, department officials are scrambling to find the stolen apparatus.