City leadership, including Mayor Rickenmann, Councilmembers Will Brennan (District III) and Sam Johnson (At-Large), City Manager Teresa Wilson, Assistant City Managers Henry Simons and Clint Shealy, Fire Chief Aubrey D. Jenkins, and members of the Columbia-Richland Fire Department, gathered in Olympia to celebrate a new milestone for the neighborhood, the groundbreaking of a new fire station in the Olympia community.
The ceremony to officially break ground on the new Fire Station 2 took place near the development site between Bluff Road and Hamrick Street February 4. Work will be ongoing in that area over the next 18 months to take the station from blueprints to reality.
“We really wanted to bring our community together to celebrate this moment because we got to this point thanks to the collaborative efforts of many,” said Columbia-Richland Fire Chief Aubrey D. Jenkins, “As our city and region continues to grow, our fire department has to keep pace in providing the best emergency services we can for our citizens. This new fire station is going to be of tremendous value to us as we continue to plan for the future.”
At roughly 15,000 square feet, the new Olympia station will be situated between Bluff Road and Hamrick Street, with rear parking areas for the site abutting the old Capital City Ballpark. Features of the new station will include more space to house CRFD firetrucks, added firefighter dorms and a contemporary design that will help promote the department’s commitment to adhere to newly established NFPA contamination mitigation measures.
CRFD’s current fire station in Olympia has been in use since the 1990s and houses one engine company as well as a battalion chief. Those resources have handled roughly 3,800 emergency calls from the station over the past two years.
Department leaders are confident that the added space created by the new fire station will keep CRFD in a position where it can meet the continued growth of the community.
CRFD community advocate Vi Hendley was recognized at the groundbreaking for her support of Columbia’s firefighters and her leadership in advancing this important project.
Firefighters serving out of the current Station 2 firehouse were also in attendance to help put ceremonial shovels in the ground.
Reeves Young is heading up construction on the project. The new station was designed by architectural firm Stewart Cooper Newell Architects. One principal goal of the project’s design was creating a modern fire station that would fit in with aesthetics found in other iconic architecture found in Olympia, most specifically the Olympia Mill.
“We’re grateful to be part of such an important project in our community and for the opportunity to partner with the city, CRFD, and Stewart Cooper Newell to bring it to life,” said Reeves Young President Chad McLeod.
The new station is estimated to cost about $10 million all of which will be covered by a Community Development Block Grant that was obtained by the city for the project.
