A large crowd was in attendance for a ground breaking ceremony Thursday morning for the new Ione fire station. The event was hosted by Mayor Andrea Bonham, city council members Lee Ard, Skip Schaufel, Kim Kerr, and Fire Chief Ken Mackey. A significant crowd had gathered at 600 Preston Avenue to show support, including local residents, Ione police and fire personnel. The station is still currently in its design phase, and will not begin construction until at least August of this year. The station is scheduled to be completed in early 2009. According to city manager Kim Kerr, the design of the new fire house includes fire suppression sprinklers, a facility for waste oil, a trash collection site, and vinyl floor coverings. The Planning Commission is scheduled to make a decision regarding the fire station at their July 8th meeting, and the City Council has added the item to their agenda for their July 15th meeting. During the groundbreaking ceremony, an emotional Bonham addressed the crowd and expressed her gratitude to the community for all of its support and encouragement.  Chief Mackey also spoke to the audience saying, “it’s been a lot of hard work” and that “it’s time.” Councilmember Ard addressed the fire personnel present, saying that in his opinion, “you’re the best station going right now.”