WEEKI WACHEE — A crowd of current and former firefighters, county officials, construction personnel and interested citizens came out Aug. 13 to see the groundbreaking for a new fire station.
It will be the first new fire station in Hernando County in 20 years, Fire Chief Paul Hasenmeier said.
Fire Station 5 on Spring Hill Drive is a new station that replaced an older one nearby.
The County Commission on May 26 awarded a $6.5 million contract to Dunedin construction company Bandes, over the dissent of Commissioner Steve Champion, who argued the price tag was too high. The final vote was 4-1.
The 9,608-square-foot, three-bay station will be built at 10270 Atlanta Ave., south of Weeki Wachee High School and a new housing development. The project includes electrical, mechanical, plumbing and fire protection systems, along with sidewalks, paving, drainage and landscaping, according to agenda documents.
The station is expected to open for service in the summer of 2027.
Location, location
The station is along the U.S. 19 corridor to Citrus County, in a fast-growing area where lots of residential and commercial developments are being built, as well as a new school building at Weeki Wachee High School and Winding Waters K-8.
“Today, we’re doing much more than breaking ground on a new fire station,” Hasenmeier said. “We’re marking an important moment in the history of Hernando County Fire Rescue and making an investment in the future of this community.”
The county has changed since the last new fire station was built.
“As our community grows, Hernando County Fire Rescue must grow with it,” he said. “Every day, firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, dispatchers and support personnel stand ready to answer the call.”
The new station represents the agency’s commitment to being there when citizens need help, he added, and the right resources in the right places help keep the community safe.
Long time coming
It’s been a lot of work to add capacity to the county’s system, County Administrator Jeff Rogers said.
“It shows our commitment to public safety in our community and the future of Hernando County,” he said. “Obviously, it’s more than a building.”
He welcomed not only the people who have retired from the fire service in Hernando County and elsewhere, but the new people who are joining the county and answering the call of public service as their career.
A lot is happening in the county, Rogers said, with new businesses moving in and new opportunities.
“But it also brings a responsibility,” he said, to develop roads, water, drainage, parks and infrastructure for public safety.
There was a big discussion the previous day on fire impact fees, he said, and he credited commissioners for talking about raising impact fees to make sure growth pays to pay for the level of service needed and the stations to come.
He thanked the contractor, who he said “is off to an amazing start and doing a great job.”
Next, officials and firefighters came out and used the provided shovels to make the ceremonial groundbreaking.
Then more firefighters came out to pose with the shovels and break the ground themselves.
“This station will be a symbol of readiness, service, security when people drive past,” Hasenmeier said. “I hope they see more than a building. I hope they see promise that when the community needs us, we will be there.”
Information from Hernando Today was used in this report.