GCFD 5, conservation district start on new facility
Fire District 5 Chief Dan Smith signs the groundbreaking ceremonial shovels to be displayed in the new facility.
Sam Fletcher/Columbia Basin Herald
A rendering of the new facility by Architects West.
Left to right: Doug Finley, Dave Stadelman, John Preston, Marie Lotz, Harold Crose, Dan Smith, Harold Schwab, Amanda Bennett, Buck Naff, Bruce Matthews, Shailee Evans and Bob Horst pose for the groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility at 12801 Road 2 NE on Monday.
Columbia River Excavation breaks ground for the new multi-agency facility at 12801 Road 2 NE on Monday.
A District 5 fire truck in front of the burn building on the property of the new facility-to-be on Monday.
MOSES LAKE — Representatives from Grant County Fire District 5 and the Grant County Conservation District broke ground Monday at the fire district training facility at 12801 Road 2 NE for a new state-of-the-art facility uniting the two agencies.
The project is two years in the making, said Conservation District technical consultant Harold Crose. When the Conservation District, looking to expand, heard District 5 was looking for a new training facility, it decided to partner.
The fire district was using two classrooms on the property, said GCFD 5 Chief Dan Smith, but they were getting old and needing repairs.
Those buildings went to Wilson Creek School District to make room for the new facility, he said.
“They are going to rub some money on them, fix them up, and use them for classrooms, because it’s cheaper for them than having to build one,” he said.
Half of the new facility will be used by the conservation district, and half will be used by the fire district, Crose said, but the conservation district will permanently use the building as its new headquarters, whereas District 5 will use it as needed.
It’s a large upgrade, he said. In addition to brand-new electronics, the building will have a 150-seat auditorium for training sessions and meetings.
“We’ll have enough room here for anything related to conservation activities,” he said.
The construction timeline is not yet determined, Smith said, as almost every aspect of the project has been delayed due to COVID-19, but the hope is the facility will be running by the end of the year.
