The pending demolition of Sandy Springs Fire Station No. 2 has firefighters relocating to a temporary station at Roswell Road and Mount Vernon Highway and to Fire Station No. 3 on Raider Drive.
The City Council on June 16 approved spending $3.5 million in fiscal year 2021 to construct a new Fire Station No. 2 at its original location, which made the relocation necessary. The land purchased for the temporary station also is needed for an intersection improvement project.
One crew and one engine will use the two structures at Roswell and Mount Vernon at a former Enterprise car rental site. The city last year approved paying $1.2 million for the property. The battalion chief and ladder company will work from Fire Station No. 3. Using the temporary locations will enable the Fire Department to maintain the normal coverage area, spokesperson Sharon Kraun said.
The replacement of Fire Station No. 2 is part of the City Council’s fiscal year 2020 budget. The city hoped to have the new fire station completed by spring 2021, but has yet to put the project out to bid for a contractor, Kraun confirmed.
The existing station opened in 1969 and had served the city of Atlanta and Fulton County before the city formed.
Demolition work will begin this month at Fire Station No. 2 at Johnson Ferry Road and Sandy Springs Circle, according to a city news release.
Hussey Gay Bell & DeYoung, the project architect, designed a two-story replacement fire station. It will include a decontamination area with a separate HVAC and airlock system. A training area and separate living areas for male and female firefighters also are part of the design.
A ceremony to celebrate the demolition was another casualty to COVID-19 and health safety concerns, Kraun said in the release.
Once the new Fire Station No. 2 has opened, the two structures at the Roswell Road and Mount Vernon Highway temporary location will get another use, Kraun said. The Ga. 400 construction includes the replacement of the Pitts Road bridge. During the replacement, Pitts Road will be closed to traffic. To continue Fire Department coverage of the area, the structures will be moved to a location in the north end of the city. A single crew will use that location.
Keeping the road open would require GDOT to buy four recently constructed houses. The city asked GDOT to not purchase the homes, which Kraun said the agency was happy to do as it saves a considerable amount of money.