By By Thomas Tingle
Record Managing Editor
Madison City Engineer Jo Somers said construction of Madison's third fire station on County Line Road is on schedule and will open next spring.
Huntsville-based Lee Builders is building the new fire station. The Madison City Council awarded the contract to Lee Builders after approving its bid of $576,925.
Chris Sides of Mouzon &Associates, the architectural firm who designed the fire station, said it would take between eight to nine months to build the new fire station.
"Fire Station No. 3 will contain 5,400 square feet of space with two engine bays upon its completion," Sides said.
Susan Klopfenstein, construction contracts manager for the city of Madison, said interior fixtures for the new fire station are now being chosen.
"We couldn't be more pleased with the progress being made at the construction site," Klopfenstein said. "Since the beginning, the project has run smoothly. We look forward to getting this new fire station completed and in operation."
The land on which the fire station is being built was donated by Heritage Plantation Inc and is the first new fire station to be built since 1996. Sides said the fire station will be a single-story structure and will contain a living space with four bedrooms – including a guest bedroom, kitchen, dining room area and bathrooms.
"Since this station will be located next to residential dwellings, we took that in mind and designed this building with a more "homier" feel to it," Sides said. "It will fit well into the existing surroundings.
Fire Station No. 1 is located at the intersection of Hughes Road and Mill Road. Fire Station No. 2 is located on Hughes Road across the street from Discovery Middle School. Each of those fire stations contains two engine bays.
Two new fire engines have been ordered for the department and will be delivered to Madison next January. One of the new engines will be stationed at Fire Station No. 1. The second new engine will replace an existing reserve engine at either Fire Station No. 1 or No. 2.