The colorful combination of red fire trucks, Carolina Blue skies and a very green structure marked the dedication of Carrboro’s first new building in four decades on Tuesday.
In an afternoon ceremony featuring speeches, the Pledge of Allegiance and an official hose decoupling in place of a ribbon cutting, Carrboro’s second fire station was officially opened.
Chief Travis Crabtree, emcee for the event, beamed often as the highlights of the $3-million building were detailed along with the planning and work that went into seeing it to completion.
Deputy State Fire Marshall Tim Bradley praised the construction and the efforts of Carrboro to plan ahead to keep up with the demands of a growing town. He and Crabtree singled out former Carrboro Fire Chief Robert Swiger, who had the forethought to put a second station in the department’s long-range plan decades ago.
Mayor Mark Chilton said the opening of the station marks the fulfillment of a promise to both longtime and newly annexed residents on the north side of town of improved fire protection. He also thanked the university for working with the town on the Homestead Road site for the station. The university is leasing the property to the town for $1 per year for 99 years.
Town Manager Steve Stewart said the building, which features extensive use of daylighting and energy-efficient lighting along with flushless toilets and a solar water heater, would likely be certified as a Silver LEEDS building had the town opted to go through the LEEDS process. Instead, the town put the $60,000 it would have taken to certify it into the features themselves, he said.
Stewart also thanked university officials for their efforts and said the town had just sent payment in full for all 99 years.
Former chief Swiger, who now lives in Cary, was on hand for the ceremony.
“We put this in the plan in about 1977,†he said. “It’s good to see it finally here.â€