Ridgefield’s growth is pushing the city south, and a new fire station may soon follow.
Architects are drawing a design for a new Clark County Fire & Rescue station at 3215 S. Hillhurst Road. The station, between 12,000 and 14,000 square feet, would replace Station 24 at 117 N. Third Ave.
The downtown station would be closed and likely sold.
Fire Chief John Nohr said that Station 24, believed to have opened in 1941 and 4,500 square feet, no longer meets the size and safety needs of a modern fire station. When he started as chief in May 2016, Nohr was tasked with developing a strategic plan to manage increased growth in the 160-square-mile district that covers northwestern Clark County — including the cities of La Center, Ridgefield and Woodland. Nohr said one of the first ideas he heard was the need to replace the downtown station.