Ōtorohanga residents concerned about what is going on at their Ballance St fire station can rest easy.
Captions: Ōtorohanga Fire Station’s temporary facilities. Photo: Viv Posselt
It is quite simply undergoing a refurbishment, one that seems to have people in a pickle about parking.
Brigade chief Neville King said yellow lines have been painted outside while the work goes on, but it means there are fewer spaces for volunteer fire fighters.
He is asking the public to keep spaces around the station free while the work – expected to take three to four months – continues.
The parking situation had not slowed down response times so far and neither has the work on the station, he said.
Until work has been completed the brigade is using a marquee to store its two appliances, a 13,000 litre tanker and a four-wheel drive ute.
Contractors are pulling down two of the existing engine bays, rebuilding and putting three bays on instead because the brigade needs the tanker and the ute in the one building.
Other restructuring work is included in the overhaul.
“They’re doing a lot of revamping in the existing part of the station too, including structural work, so there’s been quite a bit going on,” he said.
