Firefighters at Spring Fire Department Station 75 vacated the building on FM 2920 in 2015 due to mold growth, but a larger station is now taking shape on the site after several delays, SFD Assistant Fire Chief Robert Logan said.
The original 7,200-square-foot station, which opened in 1990, housed one fire engine and sleeping quarters for four firefighters. The new $7.6 million building, which is slated to open in September, will expand the station to 17,800 square feet, allowing the department to eventually accommodate two vehicles and up to 11 firefighters with sleeping quarters, Logan said.
Firefighters have been sharing space with Ponderosa Fire Department Station 62 on Louetta Road in the interim.
As of April, concrete slabs and parking lots for the new building had been poured after inclement weather and the installation of a new traffic signal delayed the project by more than a month, Logan said.
The plan always was to eventually expand, Logan said.
“We had outgrown the space, and once the mold was noticed, we thought, let’s get the guys out of there,” he said.
In addition to more space, the new building will feature bay doors that fold inward instead of rolling up. Logan said this style of door will reduce damage that is done to vehicles when doors come down on fire apparatus.
SFD Facilities Maintenance Coordinator Donald May said the building’s architectural features were designed with aesthetics in mind and feature exposed rafters.
The building will be built to withstand a Category 3 hurricane.
“We’re far off the coast, but when the hurricane hits, they have to have somewhere to ride out the storm,” Logan said. “A lot of people can evacuate—firefighters can’t, so we want to give them a facility that can withstand a significant event because they don’t have the luxury to be able to leave and ride it out.”
Previously staffed by four full-time firefighters, the new building will allow up to 11 to sleep at the station. In addition to the full-time paid stuff, about 20 to 30 volunteer firefighters work out of the station.
SFD will also break ground on a new Station 74 building on Aldine Westfield Road this summer. The building design and estimated costwill be the same as Station 75, and it will be located directly behind the current Station 74 building.
The building is being replaced due to its age and size, Logan said. Construction will begin early this summer and take about a year to complete.
The department needs room to grow because the population in the area is growing, he said.
The department eventually will build another station on the east side of its coverage area, which extends roughly from Tomball to Humble, to accommodate growth.
“You have think ahead to buy the land,” Logan said. “You’re in competition with every other developer.”
