Grading and site preparation will begin off Boylston Highway in Mills River in May or June for the construction of a $7.5 million main station for the town's fire department.
The station for Mills River Fire & Rescue will be built on 7 acres fronting N.C. 280, and construction is slated for completion in 2023. The facility will be around 20,000 square feet and will house five 80-foot bays large enough for 10 trucks. The department has outgrown its main station, which was built in 1969 and added on to in 1977 and 1984, according to Chief Rick Livingston. Sixty-seven full-time, part-time and volunteer firefighters work for the department.
The station has one bedroom with two beds and one office. More beds are needed to have more personnel on site for severe weather events. Extra staff only sleep at the station when absolutely necessary because they have to sleep on the floor or on cots, Livingston said.