La Cygne Fire Chief Dan Nasalroad, center, cuts the ribbon during a brief ceremony Saturday dedicating the city's new fire station. Others present include, from left, La Cygne Chamber of Commerce President Jenn Vogt and her two sons, firefighters Toby Stillians, Lt. Tristan VanVlack, Jake Nasalroad, Assistant Fire Chief Thomas Capp, Mike Silvers, Rod Benson, Lt. Jerome Mitzner, and City Clerk Jodi Wade. Firefighters not available for the photo include
Capt. Scott Stainbrook, Capt. Danny Curtis, and Kyle Ackerman.
Story and photos by Roger Sims, rsims@linncountyjournal.com
LA CYGNE – On Wednesday, May 1, the La Cygne City Council approved the final payment to Hofer & Hofer & Associates for the new La Cygne Fire Department’s fire station at the intersection of Fourth and Sycamore streets. The last check was for nearly $91,000, which was the amount retained on the contract until the work was complete.
On Saturday, May 4, residents and firefighters had the opportunity to celebrate the new facility with an open house. Visitors were free to roam around the building while firefighters talked with adults and children about how the equipment on the trucks worked.
Bunker gear for the firefighters is stored neatly in cubicles against the east wall of the new building.
Members have been moving equipment to the new building over the last few weeks as completion of different areas of the building has allowed. The department was sharing the Linn County Rural Fire Department station in the La Cygne Industrial Park.
With four overhead doors leading to bays for the two pumper trucks, a 2,150-gallon tender, and a brush-fire rig, the new building includes a storage area with an overhead door on the south side of the building.
A station for recharging and storing self-contained breathing apparatus tanks is located along the east wall of the building.
On the north side of the building is a meeting room and kitchen combination. Along the east wall of the main structure on one side are cubicles with each firefighter’s bunker gear neatly stowed in them. A separate row of cubicles contains lighter turn-out gear used to fight brush fires.
Also along the east side is a rack of self-contained breathing apparatus tanks as well as a station for refilling those tanks. And on the south end of the main building are sets of lighter bunker gear used for fighting grass fires.
The new building includes a small kitchen that is in the same room as the training tables.
At noon, representatives of the La Cygne Chamber of Commerce, Fire Chief Dan Nasalroad, Assistant Fire Chief and City Council President Thomas Capp, Lieutenant and City Council Member Jerome Mitzner, City Clerk Jodi Wade and several other firefighters gathered for a ribbon cutting to dedicate the new station.
Following the ribbon cutting, Wade thanked a number of people for “this very, very, very long journey getting this to happen.”
The training room includes a screen on the wall for showing video clips and other information.
“It is dependent upon getting all the citizens and leaders, our town council, the mayor, the fire chief, the fire department . . to put forth the effort to put together what you see here today,“ she said.
She also thanked people involved in the four main funding sources for the project.
Funding for the project included American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant, nearly $170,000; First Option Bank Trust Fund grant, $100,000; city capital improvement reserve fund, $480,200; and the city’s Public Building Commission’s revenue bond, $210,000.
Firefighters Triston VanVlack, right, and Michael Silvers show Jenn Vogt and her family some of the equipment that is on the pumper truck.
Four-year-old Grayson tries his hand at a firefighting game with assistance by City Clerk Jodi Wade and her helper, Dani.
Comments