By Giavonni Nickson
The City of Gary held a groundbreaking ceremony recently for a new fire station in the Glen Park community. Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson, Fire Chief Paul Bradley, and 6th District Councilperson LaVetta Sparks-Wade led the ceremony at 4959 Pennsylvania Street, where the future facility will be located. Construction is expected to begin when weather conditions improve.
The designated general contractor is Hasse Construction, based out of Calumet City and Munster.
The general contractor has the flexibility of starting the project when the weather permits. The project is slated for completion in approximately 14 months.
The new home of the Gary fire station in the Glen Park section of the city was formerly Pittman Square.
The Community Development Department worked closely with HUD to help make this initiative a reality.
MartinRiley is a Fort Wayne based full-service firm that offers architecture, interior design, mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering services, as well as other specialized services.
Jack Daniel, principal, and a corporate officer with Riley Architects, is working on the implementation of the architectural design and engineering details of the project.
The new station will be 14,300 square-feet with eight bays, which will include support spaces and associated site improvements. Initially, six staff will occupy the facility 24 hours, with anticipated growth to 14 staff in the future.
With the ceremonial formalities out of the way, Hasse’s team plans to work hard, and efficiently, with hopes of completing construction before the projected time.
Hasse Construction leader Bill Hasse said he was “grateful for the opportunity to work with the great city of Gary.”
This marks the first station that Hasse Construction will build in Gary, IN. A few years ago, Hasse completed construction at Lake Ridge on 47th and Roosevelt. Parts of the model from that location will be applied to the new Gary fire station with the inclusion of upgraded features.
During the cold 32-degree groundbreaking ceremony, government officials issued warm thanks to those that helped support this initiative.
“All of this would not happen without the visionary leadership of Paul Bradley and members of the Gary Fire Department. After all, the building that we will break ground on is just a structure but what will bring that structure to life are the men and women of the Gary fire department, said Mayor Freeman Wilson. “We want to say thank you to Chief Bradley, firefighters, and the communities we serve.”
Sixth District Councilperson LaVetta Sparks-Wade said, “This has been a long time coming. We have been waiting for this station in this district for the past six or seven years. Thanks, to the efforts of the administration, mayor, Chief Bradley and all those who worked to assure that we got the safety we need and deserved in the 6th district with the fire department.”
Fire Chief Paul Bradley thanked the citizens for their support. “Thank you to the citizens who supported us through this time, and all the firefighters who have continued to support and do their job,” he said.
While the facility is being built, Gary firefighters will work out of Calumet Township through the partnership established with Trustee Kim Robinson.
The new fire station will help to increase safety in the 6th district. It will serve as a safe place for children, and community members during inclement weather. For the city of Gary, the new 14,000 sq. ft. station will be large enough to provide emergency support.
