[StBernard] Groundbreaking held for new fire station

[Westley Annis]

Groundbreaking held for new fire station
Facility first new one since Katrina struck Thursday, July 31, 2008By Mary
Elise DeCoursey
St. Bernard is on the way to getting its first new fire station since
Hurricane Katrina. Parish officials held a groundbreaking ceremony at
Station No. 2 in Arabi recently. 

Fire Chief Thomas Stone said it was a big step forward after a long three
years spent in the department's six trailer sites. Before Katrina, the
department boasted 10 fire stations across the parish. 

"It made my day," he said. "It looks like we're moving along much faster,
and I'm excited about that." 

The station, located at 7639 W. Judge Perez Drive, had been demolished after
sustaining heavy damage during the hurricane. Stone said a completion date
is set for July 2009, but he was told by Braithwaite Construction it likely
can finish before that. 

"We'll try to set (construction) at eight-nine months for the rest of (the
stations). A year is just too long." 

Three other fire stations, Arabi No. 1, Chalmette No.3, and Verrett No. 10 ,
are under renovation. Stone said work on station No. 1 is moving faster than
expected, and it should be up and running by the hurricane's three-year
anniversary next month. He hopes the rest will follow this fall. 

"(The contractor) had six months, and they've actually done it in about
four," he said. 

Six other fire stations will need to be completely rebuilt, including No. 5
in Chalmette, No 7 in Violet, No 6 and No 12 in Meraux, No. 8 in Poydras,
and No. 11 in Yscloskey. Stone said station No 7 is next on the list, with
bidding to open on Aug. 12. 

For Stone, the work on the fire station is an important symbol for both
firefighters and residents alike. 

"I think it will help our firefighters feel more normal in the daily
operations ... I think the faster we get our parish buildings up, the better
people will feel about living here and coming back to the parish." 

. . . . . . . 

Mary Elise DeCoursey can be reached at mdecoursey at timespicayune.com or
504.826.3362.