The City of Springfield cut the ribbon on its first new fire station in 15 years Tuesday morning.
Fire Station 13 is located on College Street, Southwest of the intersection of Kansas and Chestnut Expressways. Ground was broken on the new station in October of 2021, with an estimated budget of $3.15 million dollars and expectations that it could be completed in Fall 2022.
Supply chain disruptions throughout the process pushed back that date and upped the cost.
The building became operational this past March and ultimately cost $3.7 million to complete.
Springfield Mayor Ken McClure, current Zone 1 Councilperson Monica Horton, and former Zone 1 Councilperson Phyllis Ferguson joined Fire Chief David Pennington and others for the ceremony.
Mayor McClure spoke before the cutting, and used the opportunity to tout the success of the City’s “level property tax” that voters reapproved in 2017, and which helped fund the new building.
Funds from that tax also helped pay for a new Fire Station 4, which opened last fall, and for reconstruction of a new Fire Station 7 that is currently in progress. The tax will come up for renewal in 2031,
Mayor McClure said that these projects and this ribbon cutting “signify to our community that public safety is a priority.”
Mayor McClure also acknowledged former Zone 1 Councilperson Phyllis Ferguson who he said was instrumental in bringing the new station to this area of the City. Zone 1 consistently sees more residential fires than any other zone.