SUBMITTED PHOTO Breaking ground for the new fire station are (from left) engineer Tim Smith, Mike Shoemaker, Capt. Jeff Smith, Fire Chief Jeremy Pell, Matt Whalbring, Andrew Green, Battalion Chief Joseph Green, Josh Gray, Colin Yocum, Lts. Greg Hurrle and Josh Justice, Capt. Dale Saucier and Lt. Scott Tichenor.
Chief Pell and the department’s C-shift pose with kindergartners in Katie Nikou’s class from Pleasant Grove Elementary School after reciting the “Pledge of Allegiance.” The White River Township Fire Department broke ground Oct. 2 on a new combination headquarters/ Fire Station 53 adjacent to Pleasant Grove Elementary School and Center Grove Middle School North and near the corner of Fairview and Morgantown roads.
“This new fire station represents a community that is truly working together,” said Chief Jeremy A. Pell. “Thanks to progressive planning, this community will reap the benefits of their local fire department for many years to come.”
The department purchased nearly 2.3 acres of land from Center Grove Schools for the project, marking a new partnership between the department and the school district.
“What you see today is a result of a long-standing partnership between our organizations,” said Scott Alexander, president of the Center Grove Board of School Trustees. “The decision to transfer this property to the White River Township Fire Department is not only a win for the department but also for our school corporation, the neighborhoods that surround them and the taxpayers of White River Township.”
The nearly $8 million project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2019. The 23,840 square-foot building will replace the current headquarters at 850 S. Mullinix Road, which will be torn down as part of the I-69 project.
“We are pleased to work with the White River Township Fire Department on this project,” said Rich Arkanoff, superintendent of the school district.
“We know it is a fiscally responsible decision that will increase the fire protection and overall safety of these two schools and the neighborhoods around them.”
The financial resources for the building construction were provided by the Indiana Department of Transportation. Federal law allows the state to replace any publicly owned building that must be relocated due to a construction project.
A design committee, made up of the department’s firefighters, paramedic, officers and employees, met with architects to help determine the needs of the building. In addition to including a Johnson County Sheriff Department substation, the new station will include a larger community room as well as additional bay areas and the ability to expand staffing quarters as the community continues to grow.
The department protects 36,000 residents over an area of approximately 26 square miles, which includes the corridors along State Roads 135 and 37.
“This new fire station represents a community that is truly working together,” said Chief Jeremy A. Pell. “Thanks to progressive planning, this community will reap the benefits of their local fire department for many years to come.”
The department purchased nearly 2.3 acres of land from Center Grove Schools for the project, marking a new partnership between the department and the school district.
“What you see today is a result of a long-standing partnership between our organizations,” said Scott Alexander, president of the Center Grove Board of School Trustees. “The decision to transfer this property to the White River Township Fire Department is not only a win for the department but also for our school corporation, the neighborhoods that surround them and the taxpayers of White River Township.”
The nearly $8 million project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2019. The 23,840 square-foot building will replace the current headquarters at 850 S. Mullinix Road, which will be torn down as part of the I-69 project.
“We are pleased to work with the White River Township Fire Department on this project,” said Rich Arkanoff, superintendent of the school district.
“We know it is a fiscally responsible decision that will increase the fire protection and overall safety of these two schools and the neighborhoods around them.”
The financial resources for the building construction were provided by the Indiana Department of Transportation. Federal law allows the state to replace any publicly owned building that must be relocated due to a construction project.
A design committee, made up of the department’s firefighters, paramedic, officers and employees, met with architects to help determine the needs of the building. In addition to including a Johnson County Sheriff Department substation, the new station will include a larger community room as well as additional bay areas and the ability to expand staffing quarters as the community continues to grow.
The department protects 36,000 residents over an area of approximately 26 square miles, which includes the corridors along State Roads 135 and 37.
SUBMITTED PHOTOS Chief Pell (left) and Dr. Rich Arkanoff, superintendent of Center Grove Schools, break ground for the new facility.
The department’s Craig Zollars (center) has been named the Fire and Life Safety Educator of the Year by the Indiana Fire Chiefs Association, whose executive director is Dale Henson (left). “In a single day Craig can be in a sea of elementary students teaching fire safety, then turn around and navigate a group of preschoolers through a smoke-filled safety trailer and later that evening be in front of our training room teaching adults CPR,” explained Chief Pell (right). “Every year I am amazed at how many lives Craig and his team have impacted. Every Center Grove School elementary student from kindergarten through third grade is part of his fire and life safety education program every year.”
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