The City of Delaware announced this week that it is using money from its Fire and EMS Fund to purchase a vacant east side office-warehouse building that will become home to the City’s fifth fire station and department headquarters.
City Council received legislation Monday authorizing the purchase of the former American Freight property at 680 Sunbury Road for $3,995,000.
“This location and building would improve the fire and emergency medical services on the City’s east side, provide for the much-needed administrative office space and continue to allow for the department’s growth,” Chief John Donahue said.
In addition, re-purposing the 29,000 square foot property as Station 305, instead of constructing a new fire station, will provide a significant cost savings. The total cost for purchase and renovation is expected to run about $7 million, while a new fire station building would be in the $15-20 million range, Donahue said.
The new station will help reduce response times as well. The department’s goal is a desired travel response time of four minutes or less. In 2021, responses in the area to be served by the new station were running close to six minutes and sometimes as much as 10 minutes.
The department’s administrative offices are out of space in Fire Station 301, located at 99 S. Liberty Street. Named for former Fire Chief Wilbur Bills, Station 301 was the only municipal fire station serving Delaware when it opened in 1972. It will remain operational as a fire and EMS station in the City’s central core.
Voters in 2008 approved an income tax increase specifically to fund fire and EMS services. The additional money has allowed the department to build two new fire stations and hire more firefighters to serve the growing city. Earlier this year, the department earned international accreditation, one of only 289 departments worldwide to be accredited.
The City will close on property in the first quarter of 2022 and will use the year to plan renovations, with the work and occupancy occurring in 2023.
Video is below.
Our purchase of the former American Freight property, 680 Sunbury Rd for use as a @DelawareOhioFD station and dept. HQ will:
✔️Improve fire-EMS service on the east side
✔️Provide much-needed admin/office space
✔️Continue to allow for DFD's growthhttps://t.co/CLIQdpxECh pic.twitter.com/poDscNPAGq— Delaware City, Ohio (@Delaware_Ohio) December 14, 2021
