Jefferson City Fire Department explores adding new station

The Jefferson City Fire Department is in the early stages of looking into building a potential Fire Station No. 6.

The department recently sent out a Request for Qualifications, or RFQ, to explore different architects for three projects including the station.

“We’re always looking at not only the location of stations, but also the call volume in the area,” Jefferson City Fire Chief Matt Schofield said.

In a 2011 agreement, St. Mary’s Hospital gave Jefferson City and Cole County a 12-year window to build on about three acres of its land for public safety use.

“With the hospital there, that is a target hazard that we would want to make sure that we had good coverage for,” Schofield said. “It’s also on a major artery, so that gives us access, very quick access to a lot of other places in town. So we see it as a good location.”

In August, voters approved Sales Tax G. A portion of funds generated from the tax will go toward a major renovation, or the rebuilding, of Fire Station 2.

The department is also looking to do a small remodel of Station 4 to include an additional bathroom and office space.

Schofield said he included the request for a rough estimate of a new station while exploring architects for the two projects.

“We think that there might be an opportunity while we’re seeking out consultants in design and engineering to group those projects together so that we can have some efficiency there in scale,” Schofield said.

The new station would still have to be approved by city council.

If passed, construction would need to start by 2023 to meet the agreement with St. Mary’s.

The project may partially be funded by the next round of the half-cent sales tax, or Sales Tax H, if approved.