Bluefield Fire Station No. 3 reopens on Cumberland Road

Bluefield Daily Telegraph (WV)

Apr. 9—BLUEFIELD — Generous donations and months of hard work breathed new life Thursday into a firehouse substation that will serve both Bluefield's Cumberland Road area and future developments along John Nash Boulevard.

The Bluefield Fire Department's Station 3 along Cumberland Road was formally reopened with a ribbon cutting ceremony. City Manager Dane Rideout said efforts to renovate the substation started when he was told that the living conditions there were "deplorable."

Mold and substandard living conditions were among the station's many shortcomings, so based on the fire chief's recommendations, the substation was shut down, Rideout said.

"It's been a two-year work in progress, and I think you will all be extremely pleased with what you're about to see," he told the guests. "The future of this fire station is important. I've heard some naysayers talk about that we don't need a substation out here in this area and we're not a town big enough for that. We're not basing Fire Station 3 just on current needs as much as we are our future needs. Exit 1 is going to be a phenomenal development. John Nash Boulevard is going to be developed and Fire Station 3 is paramount to that potential growth."

Photographs posted on the fire station's walls gave visitors a before-and-after look at the changes. Project Manager Billy Hester pointed out the new kitchen and living area. Lowe's donated materials and gave the city discounts on appliances to help the project, he said. The new floor plan replaced inadequate kitchen and bathroom facilities as well as living quarters. A new work space replaced a 3 foot by 6 foot office. City employees who did much of the work attended Thursday's ceremony.

"These guys in lime green shirts did all this work," Hester said. "They're phenomenal."

The project team included Jonathan Perdue, Cody Beggs, Andy Willis, Chris Perdue, Chief Adrian Conner and Marie Blackwell.

The renovations were all paid through private donations. Dafney Peters of Bluefield made the first donation which got the fundraising efforts underway, Rideout said after the ribbon cutting ceremony.

"We couldn't have gotten this project jumpstarted without her initial donation," Rideout said adding that the renovation project's overall cost was "just north of $100,000."

Peters helped cut the ribbon and later said why supporting the fire department was so important.

"These men, they put their lives on the line for us and they really don't get credit for what they do," she said.

Having good facilities is essential for firefighters who serve will serve at the renovated fire station all day, said Chief J.C. Bailey of the Bluefield Fire Department. They need a good place to relax after handling calls.

"We do just about everything other than arrests," Bailey said. "We'll have two (firefighers) per shift. There will be six on a rotating shift. That crew will be here (Thursday) tonight. If everything goes according to plan, they will be here tonight."

Mayor Ron Martin stated that reopening Fire Station 3 provides "a critical link" to the safety and infrastructure that economic development along the Exit 1 area near Interstate 77 is going to require in the future.

"This is one of those projects on the board that I wanted to see through," said Vice Mayor Barbara Smith.

Contributors included the following individuals, businesses and organizations:

Diamond Partners: Dafney Peters in memory of Charles A. Peters; and the Community Foundation of the Virginias.

Platinum Partners: Marie E. Blackwell in memory of firefighters Adam, Robert and Gary Messenger; Dairy Queen/Cumberland Road; Kammer Furniture; Norris and Doris Kantor; Matt and Laura King in memory of firefighters Gary Messenger; Lowe's Home Improvement, Bluefield, Va.; Mountaineer Bowling Lanes; and Princeton Community Hospital/Bluefield.

Gold Partners: Carolyn G. Buzzo in memory of Johnny Buzzo; Stephen H. Blaydes MD; Mary Lou Brown; C & M Truck Repair, LLC; Citizens Building Supply: Mr. and Mrs. Ben Donevant III; Jean Ewing; Family Eye Health Care Clinic: Benjamin Farley, Nationwide Insurance; Sam and J.E. Gentle; Donnie and Joyce Gott; Harbor Freight; Immanuel Lutheran Church; Dick and Julie Johnson; Lucille Sisk in memory of firefighter Robert Sisk; Lions Club of Bluefield; MCNB Banks; W.L. and Bernice Lucado; Mercer Funeral Home; Richard A. Reese; Sherwin Williams, Joy Stern; Peter and Patricia Taylor; Jim and Rhonda Thompson; Three Springs Farm Village; Robert C. VanDevor; Walker Insurance; and Thomas L. Weatherford.

Silver Partners: Donnie Gott in memory of firefighters Johnny Buzzo and Walt Nicewander; Helen Arnold; First Presbyterian Church; Grace Baptist Church; Susan Luterick; Steve and Alice Ann Sarver; Allen H. Siegel; the Rev. and Mrs. George H. Stamper; and Joanne Yost.