Our new station is starting to take shape and soon we will be moving in. Our station history mirrors the growth of the Sterling community over the years, and our new station will serve the Sterling community for decades to come. Over the years, the community has grown. There has also been a substantial increase in the emergency medical services and fire/rescue response capability that we provide.
The new station replaces a station that was first constructed in 1972. In 1988, the apparatus bays were extended to increase storage and accommodate the necessary bay support functions, which were taking up space in the apparatus area. A second floor was added so that sleeping, locker rooms, offices and a training room could be added. The resulting 13,000 sq ft station would serve us for the next 33 years.
As the community grew, we grew with it, adding capability and equipment to the station. We reached a point in the old station where we were bulging at the seams. The apparatus bay area was so tight that if you opened a door, you would hit the truck that was parked next to it. We were at our limit to modernize and expand further, and a new station was needed.
Construction started in the late winter of 2021. Phase I was the construction of the temporary facility to house a basic response capability to the Sterling Community during construction of the new station. As a part of this phase, some capabilities were relocated to other stations or to a warehouse. Phase II was and currently is, operating out of an adjacent temporary station, demolition of the old station and the construction and returning to the new building. This phase is nearing its end. This Summer, we will move back into the new station.
The new station, which is close to 24,000 sq feet (nearly twice the size of the old station), gives us the space needed to operate current and future equipment safely and efficiently on the ground floor. The second-floor houses spacious living areas for our members including a kitchen, day room, training room, lockers/showers and bunkrooms. We will no longer feel cramped in our new facility, and it will serve us for decades to come.
We are almost there. The construction is nearing completion. The recent activity of adding the front ramp, sod, and plantings makes the building look alive.
We are looking forward to returning home and inviting the community into the building during an open house this fall. Stay tuned here for more information!