By April Hunt
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/26/08
The current station on West Hill Street in Oakhurst will be demolished and replaced with an energy-saving building.
One of Decatur's single largest improvements to its buildings and services has begun.
The city commission on Monday approved spending $1.6 million for a new fire station in the Oakhurst neighborhood. The project calls for demolishing the current Station No. 2 and rebuilding on the same site on West Hill Street. The expanded station will be the city's first building to meet tougher green-building standards designed to save energy costs.
"We are ready to move forward quickly," said Deputy City Manager Hugh Saxon.
Plans call for demolition of the current firehouse in the next month and for the new station to come online by May 2009.
During construction, the one firefighter company will work out of the city's main fire station downtown. The move could affect response times, though some residents shrug off the move.
"It's literally a matter of seconds," said Michael Gaertner, who has lived in Oakhurst for eight years. "To lose a fire station for a small amount of time is a big step toward the advantage of getting a better, larger station for many years."
The city will pay for the project out of a $16 million bond program that voters approved in 2006. Other large projects planned for that money include new sidewalks, greenspace initiatives citywide and an expansion of the Decatur cemetery.
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