Liberty breaks ground on Fire Station 2
A rendering of the Liberty Fire Department’s Station 2, located south of US 90 behind AutoZone and O’Reilly Auto Parts.
City officials, along with some of the contractors, officially turn the dirt, signifying the start of Fire Station 2. The Vindicator | Russell Payne
Members of the Liberty Fire Department at the official groundbreaking ceremony of Fire Station 2. The Vindicator | Russell Payne
LIBERTY – City officials joined alongside members of the Liberty Fire Department as the ground was officially broken on Fire Station 2 Monday morning.
Onlookers gathered for the short ceremony, as crews were already at work on the site on the south side of US 90. LFD Chief Brian Hurst, City Manager Tom Warner, several council members, and representatives from the architect and construction firms were on hand for the ceremonial turning of the dirt.
Warner introduced those in attendance and was excited to have work officially underway on Liberty’s second fully manned station.
“ This is something the city council has seen the need for and also have graciously funded in part the project,” Warner said.
The city received a generous grant of $ 5 million from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, while council chipped in an additional $ 2 million to complete the project that will benefit the city’s southern boundaries.
“ Hopefully, in about 268 days, we will have a cornerstone setting because that’s when we are hoping to have the project completed,” said Warner.
Warner believes the need for a second station is never more apparent than when trains come through town, cutting emergency personnel off from the south side of the community. He believes this will allow for better response time and aid the community.
“ We have no way of getting on this side of the railroad tracks, whether it be a fire or ambulance call. We have a lot of traffic traveling down Highway 90 and need something that if there is an accident, we can respond without having to wait for a train to go by,” Warner said.
Hurst was excited about the new facility, which his department will staff full- time, hoping to add additional firefighters in the future. He was also very complimentary of the council and the city manager, who he credited for making the project happen.
“ I want to say that I appreciate our City Manager, Tom Warner. He absolutely went out and found this funding for us, and I’m amazed that we’ve got this funding completed, and this station is going to be built with the help of the council,” said Hurst.
Hurst hopes the new station is the first step towards more stations in the city, as he sees a need to expand his department’s coverage area.
“ I’d like to have a third station built before I retire, so I think that’s going to be fantastic,” Hurst said.
Warner also echoed the need for more public safety availability, pointing to future growth throughout the city.
“ Obviously, we are going to be growing, and the industrial part of our city is to the south, so if something happened down there, we wouldn’t be able to get to it,” concluded Warner.