Fire Station From 1953 Torn Down In Nearby Menlo Park

MENLO PARK, CA – A Menlo Park fire station was torn down on Monday to be replaced with a larger, modernized $7.5 million firehouse, officials said.

Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman said Wednesday that the last of the debris would be hauled away "either today or tomorrow." A 29-minute video of the demolition can be viewed at http://menlofire.org/home-news/station-6-demolition.

Fire Station 6 opened in 1953 at 700 Oak Grove Ave. In 2008, the Menlo Park Fire District bought the property behind the station in order to expand the facility.

The project was put on hold during the economic recession, but the Fire Board recently signed a "not to exceed" $7,547,400 contract with a construction company to build a safer station large enough to accommodate more personnel, Schapelhouman said.

The agreement specifies that the contractor use American-made products, which added to the cost.

"We did the same thing on Fire Station 2 in East Palo Alto, only slightly more refined in this process," Schapelhouman said in a statement.

"We truly believe and feel that public facilities and projects should prioritize the use of American-made products and manufacturing," Schapelhouman said.

The Fire Board will hold a groundbreaking ceremony this month.

• ALSO SEE: Alleged Hit-and-Run Driver Who Left Injured Pedestrian On El Camino Real Arrested

--Bay City News/Image via MPFD