CLEVELAND – A downtown Cleveland landmark will soon be demolished and a new Cleveland Fire Department building will be built in its place.
Monday evening, the Cleveland City Council gave their approval for the demolition of the old Wards Funeral Home Building at 84 East Underwood Street, which the city recently purchased, to be demolished and to construct a home for Cleveland Firefighters.
Cleveland City Administrator Kevin Harris told the council, “This is probably the most exciting thing we got to do since I have been with the city.”
Harris said they will be working with Ron Cantrell Construction Inc. in Cleveland with the demolition and construction of the new four-bay fire station, complete with office, kitchen, and sleeping quarters.
In addition, Harris said the new facility will have public restrooms that can be utilized by visitors and those using Freedom Park, located next door.
Cleveland Fire Chief Ricky Pruitt said his department had input into the building design.
“We tried to make it what we know will work out for us rather than taking another department and making it fit our needs. We put requests in what we felt would meet our needs,” commented Pruitt.
The department recently was able to use the old funeral home for training, according to Pruitt.
“We did training in there, did smoke and search and rescue training, and just before it’s demolished, we’re going to practice roof ventilation,” he said.
The present fire station has been in operation for over 50 years and has seen additions and improvements made during that time.
Officials say they hope to have the new fire station ready by the late spring or early summer of next year, just in time for the arrival of a new ladder fire truck that the city purchased.
