New fire station in Hazel Green under construction
HAZEL GREEN, Ala. (WAFF) - Hazel Green is booming and the Volunteer Fire Department is trying to keep up. Leaders in Madison County gave us an exclusive tour of a site where a new fire station is under construction.
Safety and fast response times are the goal, but people who live near Walker Lane will also see more money in their wallet, once the construction is complete.
Madison County Commissioner Roger Jones has spent three years planning for this moment, where construction has begun and dirt is now being piled up to build a fourth fire station in Hazel Green.
“I hope we’re moving in by early spring. If the weather holds out good and theres not complications maybe this will be open early spring,” said Jones.
He says turning the red dirt and building the fire station will cost at least $200,000. The fire trucks and equipment the volunteer fire department will need is also expensive. Each fire truck will cost more than $100,000 and the goal is to have two at this new location.
“There’s an area in this district that’s not under a five miles radius of a volunteer fire department. This will help us response times to fires, but it will also save homeowners money in their insurance rates because they’ll be close to a fire department,” said Jones.
Homeowners we talked to say they’re glad this fire station is being built close to their homes.
“I think it’s very beneficial for us in the neighborhood that if something bad we’re to happen, you know God forbid, that we’ll have service available very quickly,” said Josh Brown.
The goal is to have the fire station complete by next spring.
It will be named after state representative Jim Patterson who died two years ago. He spent a long time working with county leaders to get this fire station built.
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