A new firehouse is being built in Decatur right now.
City officials say it will replace the decades-old Station 5, which currently sits at the intersection of Danville Road and Presbyterian Drive.
"It's our oldest station, and it's our busiest station we have in the department," Decatur Fire & Rescue Chief Tracy Thornton said.
The new firehouse is a $3-million project, Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling said.Â
There are eight fire stations across the City of Decatur. Station 5 has been around since the 1960s, Thornton said. The crew there typically responds to more fires, wrecks and medical emergencies than any other firehouse in the city.
That's part of the reason why Thornton and Bowling say it's time for an upgrade.
The new firehouse will be about a mile away from the current one at Danville and Modus roads, which is right across from Austin Middle School.
"We didn't want a really, commercial-looking place," Thornton said. "We wanted something that kind of made it fit in and feel at home with the neighborhood that it's in, so that's where we came up with this idea of this station."
Bill and Juanita Smith live behind where the new firehouse is being built. They said they are ready for it.
"I am fine with it," Bill Smith said. "I like it, as a matter of fact. I think the fire station is going to be a tremendous asset to our area."
"One thing, we'll have security — they'll be close by if we need them," Juanita Smith said. "My neighbor and I have decided that when they move in, we are going to go over and make friends, take cookies and welcome them into the neighborhood."
Thornton said the goal is to be able to move into the new firehouse by the end of this year.
