When Marion Fire Station No. 2 went into service in 1991, firefighter Deb Krebill spent the first night there.
Back then, Marion was a town of roughly 20,000, served by two fire stations. Today, the city has doubled in population — and Krebill is now the fire chief — but it still is served by those same two locations.
A third site for a new fire station has been in the works for years, but has faced roadblocks — including being put on the back burner after the 2008 recession and amid difficulties securing land in more recent years, Krebill said. The new facility will be near Marion’s new YMCA and Gill Park, on the southwest corner of Tower Terrace Road and Irish Drive. The city purchased the land for about $1 million last year.
The city set aside local-option sales tax dollars for the project and the remainder will come from general obligation bonds, totaling $7.2 million, said City Manager Lon Pluckhahn.