LIMA — An American Township fire station will soon be demolished to make way for a larger, more modern facility that officials say will help fire and EMS personnel better serve Allen County’s most populated township.
American Township Fire Chief Thomas Hadding said he expects the old fire station, located at 2110 Edgewood Drive in Lima, to be torn down later this week. The new station will be constructed on the same property, with an expected completion date of May.
Hadding said the Fire Department simply outgrew the current facility, which was built in 1988.
“It was built for two fireman on duty at a time, and now we have six, sometimes seven guys in that firehouse some days,” Hadding said. “It wasn’t designed for that load of occupancy, and we just wore it out.”
The township’s fire chief said the old building was crowded, with the kitchen, exercise area and living quarters all in the same room. The new building will create 5,000 square feet of additional space, and will allow these areas to be housed in separate rooms.
In addition, the new station will have a secured entryway and larger bays so that fire trucks aren’t stacked on top of one another.
“Right now we have two bays, so the trucks are stacked in such a way that we have to move one truck to get another one out,” Hadding said. “With the new station, there will be three bays across the front, so you don’t have to move one to get the other out. We’ll have bays for the medic, engine and ladder trucks.”
Hadding said there will be no disruption in service during the transition. Fire and EMS personnel are being housed behind the old Gold’s Gym building, located at 2296 Elida Road, and they will remain there throughout the construction process.
To pay for the new $2.3 million facility, the Fire Department is using a combination of taxpayer dollars and bank loans. In 2014, American Township voters approved a renewal of two existing fire levies — a 4.85 mill levy and a 4 mill levy.
Hadding said in meeting with township trustees, architects and consultants, it was determined that the cost to renovate the building would be more substantial than constructing a brand new facility. The architectural group they worked with estimated the township would save around $240,000 by starting from scratch.
A major reason for the cost difference was because the amount of repairs that would have needed to be made in the old building. Hadding said plumbing, window, door and heating issues were just some of the problems he and his staff have been dealing with for years.
American Township trustees, the group that owns the fire station, said it was time to provide fire and EMS personnel with the space and equipment they need to do their jobs most efficiently.
“We were putting Band-Aids on it for too long, and the Band-Aids just weren’t holding any more,” said Paul Basinger, an American Township trustee. “Our fire and EMS guys are doing such a wonderful job that we thought this new place is well deserved.”
Basinger also said that American Township is growing, meaning more residents are in need of the Fire Department’s services.
“The fire station is being built with the anticipation of our township getting larger,” he said. “Our residential and commercial areas are growing, and have been growing for some time, so we have to supply the firefighters with what they need.”
Between its Elida and Lima stations, the Fire Department receives between 2,600 and 2,700 calls a year. Including Hadding and Deputy Chief Keith Brickner, the department employs 10 people, not counting volunteers.
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