The City of Long Beach is home to a new-and-improved fire station. Dozens of dignitaries, first responders and community members were on hand in late March for the grand opening celebration of Fire Station Number 3, located on Johnson Road in west Harrison County near the Industrial Park.
The $1.2 million facility is now up-and-running, not only providing additional fire safety protection to local residents and businesses, but is also no longer a health hazard to those who are always on stand-by to respond in times of disaster.
“The kitchen cabinets were full of black mold,” Long Beach Mayor George Bass told the crowd, in reference to the former facility, which was rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina, but was not fit for the safety and health of the city’s firefighters who worked there. “There was mold on their [the firefighters’] plates and cups, on their glasses. We knew it was time then that we had to make a move.”
“The firefighters started getting sick, keeping some type of upper respiratory thing going,” Long Beach Fire Chief Griff Skellie said. “We knew we had to do something about it. Just like everything else, we didn’t know where we would get the funding.”
The overall cost of the new fire station came in at $1.2 million. The City of Long Beach contributed $600,000 to the project. At an April meeting, the Harrison County Board of Supervisors approved to provide the marching funding of $600,000 to cover the remaining balance.
Bass and Skellie praised those who made the project and the new station possible, including Overstreet Engineering and Watters Architecture firms.
“Awesome job,” Skellie said. “I have a background in construction, and I know how jobs can be sometimes. This was easy. It couldn’t have happened that way without y’all. All the way from the way the building looks to the colors inside, everything is just great.”
Skellie also expressed appreciation for all those who serve the Long Beach Fire Department.
“I’d like to thank my firefighters,” Skellie said. “When we closed this station down, we bunched them up at Central [Fire Station], and it made for some tight quarters. It wasn’t always fun for them, either. Thank y’all for your patience. I’m glad to tell you we have a nice, healthy environment for you to work in now.”
Also, for the first time, firefighters will now be able to man and work out of Fire Station Number 3 during hurricanes. Bass gave much credit to Skellie for his vision and many contributions to the project and new facility.
“I can’t say enough about what Chief Griff Skellie has done with this, and the leadership he’s shown,” Bass said.
“We tried to design this thing where it would carry us well into the future, and I think it will,” Skellie said.
