Talleysville Fire Station groundbreaking takes place in New Kent

County leaders, representatives, and elected officials break ground on the Talleysville Fire Station at Tuesday morning's ceremony.

Robb Johnson photo

Tuesday’s groundbreaking ceremony for New Kent’s Fire Station #5 exemplified continuing group in the county.

The station, located in Talleysville, not only will make the community safer, but it is a need for the county safety that has reached an all-time high.

County supervisors Thomas Evelyn, Tommy Tiller, Patricia Paige, Ron Stiers, Ray Davis, and county administrator Rodney Hathaway echoed their support for the new fire station Tuesday morning. While firefighters and EMS workers continue to work the front line, county leaders are looking to support them in their mission.

“We set aside funding in the FY18 budget in the previous year,” said Hathaway. “The budget was approved in the previous year’s budget and we got a lot of good proposals for the fire station.”

Henderson Incorporated placed the winning bid for the project that comes in at an estimated $2.5 million for completion. It will be located at 7324 Vineyards Parkway, adjacent to the New Kent County Visitor Center.

“We have been working hand and hand with them [Henderson Construction] during the entire process,” Hathaway added.

“Delivering a building to assist with fire and rescue services means a lot for us to be a part of and to give back to the community,” said Henderson Inc. president Leslie Henderson Schultz in a brief statement.

New Kent Fire Chief Rick Opett, who has continued to push for additional safety measures in the county, said that the impact of the station will be felt immensely and provided much needed relief for an already burdened department.

“This is huge to us as this entire area and in the western part of the county seems so busy every day,” the fire chief said. “When a second call comes into that area, we are always struggling to find the closest unit to get there.

“Because of this, we end up with longer response times,” Opett continued. “With this station being right at the station, we can get there a lot faster.”

The project is slated to be completed by the summer of 2019.