The Norman Transcript

Government

Discussion

November 28, 2012

Work on Fire Station 9 continues

By Jessica Bruha The Norman Transcript

NORMAN — Fire Station 9 construction is moving slowly but surely at 3001 E. Alameda St.

Workers stuck rebar down into the walls and poured concrete in them as well Monday afternoon as they worked on a bathroom that also will serve as a safe room for firefighters.

Block walls to house fire trucks and the bathroom/safe room are the most prominent features of the new station right now. Norman Deputy Fire Chief Jim Bailey said he hopes the next step will be putting on the roof.

“Hopefully it will be up before winter,” Bailey said.

Fire Station 9 will cost about $3,795,000 and will be 15,149 square feet. The cost is covered by a public safety sales tax that was passed in May 2008. The tax also covered Fire Station 8 on the west side of Norman.

Fire stations 8 and 9 are the first to include safe rooms, and Bailey said they will continue to build safe rooms in the future.

“Firefighters are people, too. They’re susceptible to tornadoes as well,” he said.

Also, like Station 8, it will be a LEED-certified fire station.

According to the U.S. Green Building Council, a LEED structure is built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in key areas of human and environmental health, including sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

By building the fire station this way, they will be able to keep a lot of waste from being piled up into a landfill. In addition, it will also have the only geothermal heating and cooling system, helping with energy efficiency.

Bailey said as soon as the new station opens, it will immediately start responding to a tremendous amount of calls.

“It will relieve a lot of runs from (stations) 1 and 3,” he said. “Those two are the busiest stations (in Norman).”

Station 9 will be the largest station in the city. It is designed to house two fire engine companies and will include facilities such as a kitchen, day room, sleeping area, locker room, weight training room and a training area.

It also will have two police offices in the front so officers in that area can file reports and other related business at the fire station, instead of driving all the way to the police station, Bailey said.

Jessica Bruha366-3540jbruha@normantranscript.com

For local news and more, subscribe to The Norman Transcript Smart Edition, or our print edition.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Government
  • County approves funding for nonprofit services

    Cleveland County commissioners approved agreements and funding for the Women’s Resource Center for $40,000 and with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for $62,000. Those agencies provide court services, commissioners said....

    June 18, 2013

  • Almost business as usual for Moore City Council

    The Moore City Council returned to normal business at Monday night’s meeting, dealing with zoning change requests and appointments to the parks board. The majority of city business, however, continues to deal with tornado recovery and ...

    June 18, 2013

  • Oklahoma Tornado Reagan Elementary providing a blueprint for safety

    Editor’s Note: This is the second story in a week-long series focusing on storm shelters A $200 per child investment could put tornado safe rooms in future Oklahoma schools. That $200 represents the extra cost — extrapolated over the ...

    June 17, 2013 1 Photo

  • Drought relief may be a temporary respite

    Lake Thunderbird is a foot above the conservation pool for the first time in three years and Cleveland County is coming off a boatload of rain and violent spring weather. Local municipalities have ended mandatory water conservation ...

    June 15, 2013

  • City Briefs

    Teton Lane closed Continuing through Wednesday at 9 p.m., the 3400 to 3500 block of Teton Lane in Cascade Estates Addition will be closed. OneOK will be completing the paving repair over their pipeline inspection. Traffic control will be ...

    June 15, 2013

  • Cole praises Supreme Court ruling that upholds Oklahoma’s water rights

    Congressman Tom Cole, R- Moore, said he is pleased with the ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States that upheld Oklahoma water rights in the case Tarrant Regional Water District v. Herrmann. This case challenged the terms of the ...

    June 14, 2013

  • Norman sales tax running below projections

    Norman sales tax collections continue to fall below budget predictions, with the last receipt of the fiscal year rolling in well under budget predictions this month. Studies indicating that online shopping is growing in the college ...

    June 12, 2013

  • City budget slashed further

    The Norman City Council approved $521,400 for Legacy Park fountain enhancements, then — minutes later — slashed the general fund budget by $533,629 on Tuesday....

    June 12, 2013

  • Aggressive tax collections gain schools money

    Moore schools and other beneficiaries of property taxes could lose $2.5 million in revenue as a result of recent tornadoes, Cleveland County Assessor David Tinsley said Monday....

    June 11, 2013

  • City charter chatter heating up

    Norman voters may soon decide whether Norman city leadership can be trusted to control future utility rates, which include water, wastewater and trash. The Charter Review Commission voted Thursday to recommend the removal of a charter ...

    June 7, 2013