By Kyle Roberts
It’s finally happening.
That’s, at least, the feeling for anyone that has heard over the course of the previous two decades that Ruston’s Fire Station No. 2 will move out of the small confines of a building opened in 1949 and onto the open lot located at 1609 W. California Ave. in Ruston.
Ruston Fire Department chief Chris Womack is one of those who is excited to finally see groundbreaking on the new station, less than a mile west on California Ave. from the current No. 2 station.
“It’s been a long journey,” Womack said. “I want to take all the men and women of the Ruston Fire Department for believing me when I said it was coming. I also want to thank all the department heads, the mayor and city council.”
Ruston mayor Ronny Walker is also excited for the new facility and expects construction to last around year.
“It’s been an ongoing process, but it’s something that we really need,” Walker said. “(The location) used to be a trailer park that had become dilapidated, and we’re cleaning it up and putting in a beautiful station.”
The facility is expected to be 10,000 square feet and will have a two-story bay station, meaning four vehicles can be housed at the station. Six to seven personnel will be able to stay comfortably on overnight shifts, according to Womack.
The new station will also have an office for the Fire Prevention Bureau.
