Construction on Lenny Smith Station is Well Underway
September 2, 2016
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- Staff photo by Len Lathrop The second floor operation area is starting to take shape. This area will provide firefighters a center for shift work, education and training and other areas, but is separate from the sleeping quarters. There are three methods for the men to get to the apparatus floor when toned.
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- Staff photo by Len Lathrop The rear engine bays (the non-street side of the building) are being developed: new stairway, equipment storage and other areas for operational tasks and storage.
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- Staff photo by Len Lathrop The ceiling section that was cut out for the new staircase rests just below the ceiling of the apparatus floor. The contractor mentioned that it is over 8 inches thick in some areas but was perfectly level.
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- Staff photo by Len Lathrop The original second floor was poured between the steel beams, which are 5 feet apart. You can see the black material that was used to support the concrete for the floor as its wire support was poured.
by Len Lathrop
Chief Buxton opened the doors of the Lenny Smith Station showing the changes and upgrades that have been made. The station was originally built by firefighters under the direction of then firefighter Leonard Smith.
While the new rooms on the second floor are being framed, you can see the new layout and its new functionality. The first floor ceiling/second floor has been cut for the new stairway to the apparatus floor. The chief pointed out that the concrete and reinforcing wire was eight and a half inches thick in some areas, but what they found out was the steel beams are 5 feet apart and there is a cloth type of fabric on which the cement was poured. Even the construction supervisor mentioned that the floor was perfectly level; it must have been poured in layers, which were allowed to harden between each pouring.
The work schedule occurs in phases to allow the station to function throughout the construction. Monday the sleeping area was closed off as floor tiles made of asbestos were being removed. The new windows where in on the second floor; all the insulation and any contaminate from the attic have been removed.
Chief Buxton pointed out where the new doorways will be and how, with the new outside ramp and automatic door, this will allow handicap access to the dispatch center and the captain’s office. Once someone climbs the stairs the first secured door will make the living and training center a secured area. A second door to the bunk area will allow firefighters’ families to share meals and holiday times with them, but the sleeping area will be only for firefighters while on duty.
It was somewhat different to see the tables from the second floor in the back of the apparatus bay, but the chief was fast to mention how invested in the project the firefighters were, adapting every day to a different layout of the building, every day with the trucks on the apron and then putting everything inside for the night.
The chief has invited us back in a couple of weeks, and at that point we’ll have even more changes to show you.
