Second Carthage fire station nearing completion

Jan. 06--CARTHAGE, Mo. -- A Carthage Fire Department substation slated for the south side of town is nearing completion, though construction delays have pushed back the opening to likely the end of January or mid-February.

The substation has long been in the works, spurred by development on the southern edge of town. The building at 3000 Main St. will sit on roughly 2 acres that were donated in 2014 by First Bank and Trust Company of Lubbock, Texas, which acquired the property as part of a commercial development that went into foreclosure.

Fire Chief Roger Williams said the fire department and city are working through final specifications with the contractor to get the building move-in ready. Though initially expected to be moved in at the end of December, Williams said it could likely be around mid-February before the station is ready.

"We're just still trying to iron out details and get everything as we want, but we're getting close," Williams said. "I'd like to tell you it's going to be next week, but it's not. I would have liked to have had it done in the winter, but nothing ever works exactly like you want it to."

The three-bay structure will be staffed by three firefighters at first and house three trucks along with other equipment. The substation will be paid for through a quarter-cent sales tax, which voters approved in 2011 on the promise of a southern substation and new firefighting equipment. The city's fiscal 2019 budget projects the tax will generate a little more than $560,000 in revenue this year.

In February 2018, the City Council also approved a measure that allows the fire department to hire firefighters outside of city limits. Anyone who lives within 15 miles of the main station at 401 W. Chestnut St. can apply, and the new radius hits portions of Duenweg, Joplin, Webb City and Oronogo.

Williams said the policy change has been helpful in recruiting more firefighters.

"I've been able to hire a couple people since that change who weren't that far away but far enough that they would have had the burden of selling a place and moving," Williams said. "It's not as easy as it seems to become a firefighter ... and it's tough enough to get all those things done and then have someone tell you you need to move."

The substation will reduce response times and insurance rates for property owners within 5 miles of the site. The total construction cost will be about $1.8 million.

"It's going to be an adjustment for us to separate our man powers and work out of different areas," Williams said. "There's going be a lot of practice and a lot of things to iron out as we go along, but this will give us the opportunity to serve the people in the south side of town quicker."

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