Gainesville leaders will invite residents to two groundbreaking ceremonies over the next two weeks as the city moves forward with the construction of new facilities for Fire Stations No. 3 and No. 9. The projects carry a combined estimated cost of about $36 million and represent major investments in public safety infrastructure.
Construction is expected to begin soon on both facilities.
Located at 1025 NE 13th St., the new 16,773-square-foot Fire Station No. 3 will replace the city’s existing station and continue serving northeast Gainesville and surrounding areas. The facility will include three engine bays and modern amenities designed to support emergency response operations.
According to a July 20 city press release, the city commission approved the approximately $14 million project in 2023. Commissioners approved a site work agreement in April, and a construction agreement is expected to come before the commission in August.
According to its website page, the new fire station facility is part of the NE Eighth Avenue and Waldo Road-Citizens Field Revitalization Project, a broader effort intended to “create a premier destination for athletics, stimulate economic development and provide vibrant public spaces for residents.” The project also includes renovations to Citizens Field at Milton Lewis Stadium and the Martin Luther King Jr. Multipurpose Center.
Following the Fire Station No. 3 groundbreaking, the city will hold a ceremony for the Southwest Public Safety Center at 10 a.m. July 31. The facility will be located at 4320 SW 47th Way near Archer Road and Interstate 75.
The 29,754 square-foot public safety center will serve as a hurricane-hardened facility and house Fire Station No. 9, a public works warehouse and a community meeting room. Fire Station No. 9 will feature four engine bays.
Once completed, the existing Fire Station No. 9, which currently operates from a modular building in Butler Plaza North, will relocate to the new facility.
The Southwest Public Safety Center is projected to cost about $22 million. The commission approved the project in 2023, followed by approval of a site work agreement in April 2026 and a construction agreement in June.
Both projects are primarily funded through the Streets, Stations and Strong Foundations half-cent infrastructure surtax approved by Alachua County voters. The surtax supports road repairs, fire stations, public facilities and affordable housing. The Southwest Public Safety Center also received grant funding from Alachua County.
Mayor Harvey Ward and four commissioners told The Sun via text messages on July 20 that they are committed to delivering excellent public safety for all of their neighbors, Ward said Fire Station Three is the first time the city has built a new station in a decade.
“It shows how important it is to us that we serve our East Gainesville neighbors first,” Ward said. “On the heels of that, we’re giving our South West neighbors in district three their first significant public investment in many years, and finally giving Station Nine a permanent home. Gainesville will be a safer, healthier community because of these direct investments.”
Commissioner Casey Willits said the facilities are what voters wanted when they approved the extra half cent tax.
“Along with several repaired streets and upcoming new affordable housing, Gainesville is creating the infrastructure that will serve as a strong foundation for the future,” Willits wrote.
Echoing Willits’ point of the half-cent tax, Commissioner Ed Book wrote that projects like these are precisely what the city should fund and using dedicated monies for core services such as fire, public safety and roads while investing in the maintenance and improvement of city infrastructure and facilities advances the goals of the city’s strategic plan.
Commissioner Bryan Eastman said updating its aging fire stations has been among the biggest infrastructure needs in the community for years and is excited to see the city finally investing in these facilities.
Additionally, Commissioner James Ingle said the SW Safety Center is a step forward for the fire service that has been operating out of a temporary station and adds some community resources in the area that has had a lot of commercial growth with few public spaces.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: $36M projects to build 2 fire stations in Gainesville set to begin soon
Reporting by Elliot Tritto, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Elliot Tritto, Gainesville Sun | USA TODAY Network
