Seven months after breaking ground on Ocala’s second first responders’ campus, the facility on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue is more than half finished.
Even with delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, construction is set to end in October, about 30 days longer than originally anticipated.
The delays involved the manufacturing and shipping of certain materials, according to Ashley Dobbs, Ocala city spokeswoman.
Once complete, the $7 million campus will feature a new Ocala Fire Rescue station, an Ocala Police Department substation and a community center, complete with a basketball court.
Ocala Fire Station No. 3 will move from 737 SW Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. to the new campus less than a mile up the road. In addition to the fire station, the campus will also serve as the Ocala Fire Rescue administration headquarters. It’s the first true headquarters for the department in about 50 years, according to Fire Chief Shane Alexander.