By ELENA MARSH
Staff Writer
Work continues on the $2.1 million Eagle Springs Fire Station expansion. Eight months have passed since the department broke ground on National First Responder Day, and the volunteer fire department is looking forward to finishing the project by the end of July.
Through state and local funds, the expansion was planned to nearly double the footprint of the station. Planning for the project started before 2020, as part of long talks with former state Rep. Jamie Boles about wanting to provide better support for the state Department of Public Safety training facility in Samarcand.
At the Samarcand training facility, up to 150 trainees stay overnight for each training session. The state has invested $40 million in the site, including $10 million in the Wildlife Resources Commission training facility, a three-level structure on the property.
The expansion of the Eagle Springs department was needed to provide better coverage of the training facility. To do so, Boles was able to secure $300,000 for the fire department’s expansion. State Sen. Tom McInnis, whose district includes Moore County, has secured another $1 million in state appropriations since then, and the county chipped in local funds for the rest.
At the Moore County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday night, the board helped the project cross the finish line by approving an allocation of $440,000.
The expansion will provide space for the department to house firefighters for 24-hour shifts, with hopes of adding full-time opportunities for the department of 45 firefighters.
The expansion will allow for sleeping quarters, meeting rooms, communications room for disaster situations, exercise room, full-size bathrooms and office space. It can also allow for the fire station to serve as a community space the unincorporated community lacks.
The first phase of the project added a slab to the back of the building, effectively doubling its size by adding sleeping quarters, EMS bays, meeting rooms, a day room and kitchen. This phase is set to be completed in June.
Phase two breaks down the inner portion of the existing facility and adds two additional bays for the EMS vehicles and a brush truck, which currently
sits outside the building. This phase is expected to be completed in July.
Finally, the finishing touches will be completed for lighting and flooring at the end of July.
Contact Elena Marsh at (910) 693-2484 or elena@thepilot.com.
