SHELBY — For more than 100 years, officials in the city of Shelby have discussed building a new fire station. On Friday, that dream finally came to fruition.
The city of Shelby announced on Oct. 6 that a new fire station would be constructed thanks to a generous donation by local businessman and philanthropist Grant Milliron. The new station will be constructed on High School Avenue just north of the Shelby Justice Center.
Shelby Mayor Steve Schag stated the process of looking for funding to construct a new fire station has been long and tedious. The city explored private developer proposals, state and federal financial resources, and low-interest loans or grants.
“We looked nearly everywhere hoping to find some sort of grant, until one day about nine months ago a very special ‘Grant’ found us,” Schag said.
The idea of building a new fire station in Shelby first came to 82-year-old Grant Milliron years ago, when the Shelby Fire Department responded to a major fire at his facility, Milliron Recycling.
“It seemed at that time that the word ‘thank you’ was not appropriate, or nearly enough,” Milliron said. “What made me realize that is the professionalism I witnessed, the determination of this group, and most of all, they never gave up. I don’t forget those kind of gestures.”
Almost a year ago, Milliron approached the city and informed officials he would like to construct a fire station as a gift.
“God planted the seed in my mind after that fire,” Milliron said. “Scripture tells us there’s a season to do everything. That seed was planted several years ago, and now it’s about time to harvest that seed.”
The harvest is long overdue for the Shelby Fire Department. Chief Mike Thompson shared on Friday an article from the Shelby Daily Globe published in 1911, when the fire station was only 39 years old. The article referred to the old engine house as an “eyesore” even then.
“If a change is not made now, it never will be, and the old engine house will be standing for 100 years,” Thompson read. “That’s from 1911. I’d say they were right.”
First constructed in 1872, the Shelby Fire Station is one of the oldest fire stations in the United States. When the station was first constructed, Ulysses S. Grant was president of the United States. The battle of Little Bighorn would take place four years after its construction.
“The current station has served our community well, but numerous floods and tests of time have made it necessary for Shelby Fire to relocate,” Thompson said. “The brick and mortar are literally disintegrating. We’ve outgrown our building.”
The expanse of green grass across from Central Elementary School was purchased by Milliron as the location for the new fire station because of its proximity to the Shelby Justice Center. The site will be out of reach of the flooding that has plagued the fire department for decades.
“No longer will we have to carry our equipment upstairs during a flood,” Thompson said. “We will be able to open truck doors without hitting the wall. After a fire, we can actually clean our equipment indoors instead of outside during the winter. Most importantly, a new station will allow us to better serve the community.”
Other advantages of a new fire station in Shelby include all fire equipment in the same location, a decontamination room for firefighters and their equipment, four separate bedrooms, a new chief’s office, and five glass-front garage doors. Milliron’s vision included paying homage to the history of the fire station, while also bringing the building into the 21st century.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime event for a city our size,” Schag said.
As the winter months approach, the foundation of the station will begin while the assembly of the station will begin in the spring. The city estimates the new building to be complete by summer 2018. There are currently no plans for the old fire department.
There was more than enough gratitude to go around on Friday, but Milliron remained humble.
“There are many threads that hold a community together, and safety forces are a big part of that thread,” Milliron said. “The Lord has blessed me so much in my life, it’s easy to give back.”
