SFD, City of Stillwater breaks ground on new location of Fire Station No. 2

Dec. 20—On Tuesday, the Stillwater Fire Department and the City of Stillwater held a groundbreaking ceremony marking the construction of the new location of Fire Station No. 2, which will be built on Western Road, about one-half mile north of McElroy Road.

As part of the City of Stillwater's T.I.M.E. (Together Investing in Municipal Excellence) capital improvement projects, the new fire station will serve the needs of a growing community — not only with the needs on the Oklahoma State University campus, but on the west side of town.

Stillwater Mayor Will Joyce thanked the City Council, Stillwater Fire Department, engineers and state-level supporters who had worked to make the day possible.

"The benefits of this safety initiative are countless and this is a milestone for everybody involved," Joyce said. "Many thanks again to all who supported the T.I.M.E. initiatives, and this initiative in particular, for an overall safer and healthier Stillwater."

Voters approved a $9 million bond by 84.5 percent in April 2022 for construction of the fire station.

OSU owns the current Fire Station No. 2 building. Constructed in 1938, the building is on the National Register of Historic Places. The university plans to preserve and repurpose the Campus Corner fire station.

Fire Chief Terry Essary told the News Press that the move to the new location is "bittersweet," but that the Campus Corner fire station is 86 years old and no longer serving Stillwater's expanding needs.

Although the current fire station is a three-story building, SFD is currently using only about 8,000-square feet of that space. The building is nostalgic and beautiful, Essary said. The spirit of the innovative and world-class firefighters who served at the current fire station will forever live on and is what made the building special.

"(But) it's not a modern fire station," Essary said. "This will enable us to design the fire station to help our firefighters respond faster and get out the door quicker."

Essary, who has served with the SFD for 26 years, and as fire chief for nearly three years, said the new fire station will have 15,000 square feet of space. It will also include five drive-through bays, a decontamination area and overall improved co-ed living quarters for 10 firefighters.

"This marks a significant step forward for our collective safety and community well-being," Essary said during the ceremony. "This piece of ground will become a home to the men and women who relentlessly prepare to protect you and your loved ones in emergencies and to provide a constant supply of hope in a world that needs it now more than ever."

Deputy City Manager Brady Moore, who has served as interim City Manager, said the old fire station at Campus Corner caused problems for SFD and first responders, as they couldn't get to certain parts of the campus or other parts of the community as quickly. The new fire station will also house rural fire equipment.

"This fire station is going to be our shining star that is going to support both the OSU campus (and the City) — and have very fast response times," Moore said. "... It's a great win for our community and it's a great asset that we're excited to get started on."

Vice Mayor Amy Dzialowski served on City Council during the creation of the 20-year bond issue and the vote to approve its proposition. She said City Council and Chief Essary spent many hours with the community, explaining the need for a new fire station.

"It's really exciting that the community supported this, (and) saw the need, and voted to pass the bond issue," Dzialowski said. "And now we're here, breaking ground."

City Manager Kimberly Meek said the City has completed studies on the areas of the City that most need the coverage, and the west side of Stillwater has seen more growth. She said what drew her to the City during her interview process was that the City supported the bond for the new station.

"The citizens are very focused on the needs of the community, and it was one of the things that inspired me to (consider) taking this job," Meek said.

As part of the partnership between the City and the university, OSU provided the land for the new station under another long-term lease with an initial 50-year term and the option to extend it twice, for a total of 100 years.

Crossland Construction will serve as Construction Manager at Risk for the project and will oversee the construction process "to ensure accurate cost estimates and control costs by providing flexibility to stay within budget," per the City of Stillwater press release. Bids will be awarded in phases.

Work Package 1 will include demolition, earthwork, site concrete, site utilities and storm sewer, with costs totaling $1,297,063.13. Construction of Work Package 1 is scheduled to begin January 2024 (along with bidding for Work Package 2), with an estimated project completion date of July 2025.