Greenville city firefighters have a new station to call home.
Firefighters moved into the modern brick-faced building at 20 E. Faris Road earlier this month, according to city spokeswoman Beth Brotherton.
Construction on the $4.9 million facility began in August 2019, said Greenville Fire Chief Steve Kovalcik. Acquisition of the property, demolition, asbestos abatement of existing structures, stormwater retention, traffic control devices and parking lot and streetscape improvements cost an additional $1.4 million.
The station replaces the old Station 3 on Augusta Street, which was built in 1950 and had “reached the end of its life from a fire station delivery standpoint,” Kovacik said in an email.
“The new building has the capacity to increase response resources should the need arise,” he said.
Two stories tall and with 12,000 square feet, the station is completely ADA accessible and includes an elevator, more privacy in sleeping and working quarters and improved facilities for cleaning and decontaminating equipment and gear, Kovacik said.
It also features a steel sculpture by Yuri Tsuzuki, the creator of the Butterfly Project in downtown Greenville. Commissioned through a partnership with the city of Greenville Arts in Public Places and Cancer Survivors Park, the Butterfly Project installation includes a collection of more than 130 butterflies located along the east side of Main Street and a large-scale outdoor sculpture in Cancer Survivors Park.
Tsuzuki’s fire station sculpture is located at the corner of East Faris Road and Augusta Street and was funded by the city and through private donations, according to Brotherton.
Four firefighters per shift are currently assigned to the new station. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Jan. 13, 2021.
Kovacik said current plans also call for vacating the Stone Avenue fire station and relocating, but no timetable has been set.
“We are still evaluating options,” he said.
