Substantial completion achieved on renovations to Fire Station 10 in Riverside
Renovations on Fire Rescue Station 10 on McDuff Avenue in Riverside reached substantial completion on Aug. 16, according to Director and Fire Chief of Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department Keith Powers.
Construction on the station began in October of last year and the general contractor was Auld and White Constructors. The total cost for the project was $2.22 million. Some minor work remains on the renovations, Powers added, including painting the eves, reinstalling the structure’s original brass gutters and installing stone coping “to match the original work on the station.”
After purchasing property behind the station and demolishing the structures on it, the fire station was able to add two new drive-thru bays on its north end to eliminate the need for fire engines to pull up and back into the bays as they had to do previously.
“It’s safer for the people that are driving up and down McDuff and it’s safer for our firefighters,” Powers explained.
Interior renovations on the first floor included remodeling work to the kitchen, day room and chief’s office. An ADA-compliant bathroom was created along with other interior updates to the station.
“Our first responders live in those stations,” Powers said. “Our guys work 24 on, 48 off so they live in those stations for a 24-hour period at a time. So they not only come to work but they also eat in those stations, they sleep in those stations — it’s just like a regular house on the inside — then [they] respond on runs as the runs come in, the 911 calls are made. So it’s very important that we keep those as updated as they need to be.”
This is the second update Station 10 has received since it was built in 1927. The first renovation, completed in the 1980s, added another pair of bays on the north end of the station. The two recently-added drive-thru bays were built further north of those created in that first renovation.
Other stations throughout Jacksonville are receiving updates as well. Renovations just completed at Station 4 on Duval Street in LaVilla and work is currently underway at stations 12 and 17 in St. Nicholas and Woodstock, respectively.
Powers added there is also a duty to preserve the historical value of some of Jacksonville’s stations. Built in 1909, Station #2 in Springfield is the oldest working fire station in the state of Florida.
“We have a responsibility to keep these older historic buildings in great working condition and also not let them deteriorate because of the historical value,” he said.
By Michele Leivas
Resident Community News
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