Firefighters clear site of future dig
PHOTO BY CASSIE JACOBY
Lake Wales Fire Chief Jerry Brown runs the mower as he helps clear the land for the future site of the next Lake Wales Fire Department post.
PHOTO BY CASSIE JACOBY
All kinds of trash and various objects, including what appears to be a dilapidated four-wheeler, were hefted into a large dumpster using buckets on the end of tractors driven by fire fighters.
PHOTO BY CASSIE JACOBY
This firefighter empties the bulldozer bucket into the dumpster.
Lake Wales fire fighters were out in force on Monday, but not to fight fire. This time the battle was to remove weeds, trash and abandoned buildings on property that will become the new home for Fire Station Two. Located on Chalet Suzanne Road across from the Eagle Ridge Mall, the 3.75 acre property was purchased for $185,000. Relocating the station from property on Thompson Nursery Road will save the city $3,000 a month, the cost of the lease.
“We looked for the right property since May 2008, but the prices were too high,” Fire Chief Jerry Brown explained. “We serve all the communities from Lake Ashton to Waverly, the Eagle Ridge Mall, U.S. Highway 27 commercial properties and everything else back to the city limits. Travel time was an issue so we opened the second station to provide fire protection and a faster response to the northern section.”
