SHELBY — The Shelby Fire Department is counting down the days until they can move into their brand-new station just around the corner, as construction moves steadily along.
According to Steve Richter, job superintendent with Simonson Construction Services out of Ashland, the project is approximately 65 percent towards completion. He estimated the new building would be ready for use in October.
“I’d like it to be tomorrow,” Richter added with a laugh. “They’ve been down there in that old one long enough.”
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 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 12,443 square-foot station is being constructed on High School Avenue just north of the Shelby Justice Center.
Shelby Fire Chief Mike Thompson can’t thank Milliron enough for funding the new station.
“Compared to where we are, there’s no comparison,” Thompson said. “Everything is an upgrade. You wish you had a word more than ‘thank you’ to say, but I can’t find one.”
In addition to moving out of the floodplain, 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.
“The bays alone are bigger than what we have now total,” Thompson said. “We have 6,000 square feet here, the bays are 9,000 square feet.”
According to Richter, the exterior of the new station is complete, and interior finishing such as drywall are currently going up. He noted an extremely rainy spring set the project back 17 or 18 days.
In the meantime, the Shelby Fire Department is currently in the middle of a fundraising campaign to purchase interior furnishings for the new station. The goal is to raise $100,000 privately through the Friends of the Black Fork, hopefully by the time the new station is ready for move-in this fall.
Interior furnishings, Thompson said, include desks, filing cabinets, beds, kitchen equipment, chairs and gear racks. So far, just under $60,000 has been raised.
“Mr. Milliron is providing the building, we have to provide the interior furnishings,” he said.
The department has taken a number of creative approaches towards fundraising. One of the firefighter’s wives will be holding a bake sale during the Shelby Bicycle Days festival this weekend. And on July 18, Thompson will go head-to-head with Shelby Police Chief Lance Combs in a “Battle of the Chiefs” fundraiser at The Vault, with all proceeds going towards the fire department.
In addition, the department has secured a $50,000 grant and a $48,000 loan at 3.5 percent from the USDA Rural Development Program. Part of that funding will go towards a $24,000 generator for the new building that was purchased by the city.
“The city has been given such a great gift, our goal is to turn it over to the citizens of Shelby at no cost,” Thompson said.
Led by Thompson, the Shelby Fire Department certainly leads with gratitude in regards to the new station – chiefly for Milliron, but also for the contractors and laborers working on the project, as well as private citizens, businesses and the city of Shelby for their contributions to make the project come true.
“We get a lot of people stopping by commenting on the building, and they’re happy for us,” Thompson said. “People are stepping up and wanting to be a part of something that’s this great for the city. It’s so needed, and it’s really heartwarming to see that.”
