The Augusta Fire Department broke ground on its latest upcoming fire station in west Augusta, Wednesday morning.
Mayor Garnett Johnson, District 3 Commissioner Catherine Smith McKnight and District 5 Commissioner Bobby Williams joined Fire Chief Antonio Burden in a groundbreaking ceremony at 2075 Powell Road.
The site of the future Augusta Fire Department Station #3 is currently a vacant two-acre tract off Gordon Highway, west of where Gordon intersects with Jimmie Dyess Parkway, purchased by the city from James Pond Properties in 2018.
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The station would offer EMS services to the burgeoning corridor that includes the Elderberry and Hayne’s Station neighborhoods, Cypress Crossing, and the upcoming Kroger Marketplace on Harper Franklin Avenue.
Both Johnson and McKnight referred to the districts 3 and 5 area as the fastest growing in the county.
“As a native of Augusta, I recall many years driving right down Gordon Highway and … nothing was over here,” said Augusta Interim Administrator Takiyah Douse. “I also recall having to make the long trek to the new Fort Gordon gate in which nothing, I mean absolutely nothing followed us along this path. But now as we stand in 2024, we can see the growth that has occurred in this area.”
The facility is to be built according to a “clean fire station” concept, explained Chief Burden, referring to a growing design method for fire stations to prioritize firefighter safety.
This includes amenities such as designated fitness rooms, a “clean room,” or separate storage space for turnout gear, away from apparatus bays, and a separate area dedicated for firefighter decontamination, what Burden noted as “a crucial step in combating the alarming rise of cancer among firefighters.”
The station will also include a community venue space, available for residents to use for events, meetings and educational programs.
“Our house is your house,” Burden said. “We envision this room as a hub for shared ideas, relationship building and forging partnerships.”
Fire Station #3 was among the projects of SPLOST 7, approved by the county in 2015. The referendum set aside more than $45 million for public safety projects, of which $7.5 million was designated for the construction of three new fire stations. Two of them were built in 2020, Fire Station #2 on Telfair Street, and Fire Station #20 on Old Highway Road in Hephzibah.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
