Construction of Shawnee’s fourth fire station is still on schedule, city leaders reported Tuesday evening to councilmembers.
Fire Station 74 will be located on the southwest corner of 53rd Street and Woodsonia Drive. John Mattox, Shawnee fire chief, said McCown Gordon is on schedule to complete construction by Jan. 21.
The station will have a footprint of roughly 9,135 square feet, including two apparatus bays. It will also have a time capsule, which the Shawnee fire department intends to keep sealed for 50 years, until 2069.
“Northwest Shawnee has grown so much, and now we finally feel like we’re growing with it by adding this fire station out here,” Mattox said.
Adding a fire station at that location affects the most people in Shawnee compared with other possible locations, he added. In fact, 11,000 rooftops — roughly 22,000 to 30,000 people, or one-third of the city population — will see an improvement of 1 to 5 minutes in response time when the station opens.
Significant population growth in the northwestern part of Shawnee has created an increased demand for fire services, according to city records of the project.
“The large geographic area to be served combined with limited mutual aid options has resulted in longer than desirable response times to the above part of the community,” city staff reported.
The Shawnee council approved a mill rate increase to fund the project.
