Arlington County to Totally Rebuild Fire Station

The Arlington County Board has approved the building of a new Fire Station No. 8 at its current location on Lee Highway in the northern part of the county.

The decision was made during the Board's deliberations on the 2017-2026 Capital Improvement Plan because the current station isn't big enough nor does it meet current standards, according to a county statement.

The measure was passed 4-1, with Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey voting no.

The station is located at 4845 Lee Highway near the intersection with Glebe Road. The Fire Station No. 8 Task Force deliberated over five months before it reached the decision that a new station should be rebuilt on the same site.

Project planning for the new station will begin in early 2017.

"Because the station will be rebuilt on its current site, it will operate out of an interim station for approximately two years while the new station is being constructed; an interim station location has yet to be determined," the statement notes. "Fire and EMS (Emergency Medical Services) operations will move to the interim station prior to start of construction for the new fire station, forecast to begin in Spring, 2019. The new station will be ready for fire operations around Spring, 2021."

The county manager will be responsible for identifying an interim station before the end of 2016.

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Image via Arlington County