Westville Area Fire Protection District voters will vote in November to issue $2.5 million in new bonds. Fire Chief Mark Ames says the money generated from the bonds will be used to expand the Westville fire station.

{AUDIO: “We hired an architectural firm to design an addition to the fire station and renovations to the existing building, which was built in 1957. The equipment is much larger than it used to be and we are bursting at the seams.”}

Chief Ames says the proposed expansion of the Westville Fire Station has been discussed for years…

{AUDIO: “As you know, we don’t have a classroom. If we want to hold a class, we have to get our equipment out and set up tables and chairs to hold our classes here on the equipment hall floor. And in the winter, that’s a challenge because we have temperature issues with our trucks when there’s water in them. In this building, there will be a classroom with seating for all of our members, among all the other amenities that will enhance our operational capabilities.”}

Ames noted that the size of fire trucks today makes things a challenge when the snow piles up…

{AUDIO: “The front end machine is 9 feet long and goes through a 10 foot wide door. So imagine that snow buildup – we can’t have any of that about 6 to 8 feet in front of the bay. So those are challenges that we have to overcome. As you know, in the early days of our district, the trucks were much smaller – and they’ve only grown.”}

If voters approve, a new 90,000-square-foot addition will be built on the east side of the existing Westville Fire Station.