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.”
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