The South Callaway Fire Protection District has scheduled a groundbreaking ceremony for 5 p.m. and an open house 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday for a $360,000 expansion of Fire Station No. 5 at Reform.
People attending the Saturday evening groundbreaking event for the 4,200 square-foot addition will receive free soda, hamburgers, hot dogs and potato salad. Games for youngsters also will be provided at the event.
Fire Station No. 5 of the South Callaway Fire Protection District is located on Route CC just south of the Callaway Energy Center's nuclear power plant.
Fire Chief Jeff Wallendorff said volunteer firefighters want people in the community to attend the event to learn more about the expansion.
Wallendorff said the expansion will be financed entirely by local property tax funds collected by the district.
The addition is more than twice as large as the existing 2,000-square-foot fire station.
Wallendorff said the Reform fire station has no room for training and is too small to meet the needs of the department.
Two fire trucks are now parked in one bay at Fire Station No. 5 at Reform. The new three-bay building will allow the station to have one bay for each fire truck, plus room for later expansion of vehicles.
"We also plan to use a resource truck and other equipment to help lower our ISO rating," Wallendorff said.