Cupcakes and dirt dust enlivened the crowd sharing the experience of a groundbreaking.
On Wednesday, Aug. 2, Oakpointe Communities hosted the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Lawson Hills Fire Station in Black Diamond.
Mountain View Fire and Rescue Chief Dawn Judkins said that when the station is staffed, it will significantly improve emergency response time to the Ten Trails Neighborhood and downtown Black Diamond. At the moment, response time from Station 98 on the west side of Lake Sawyer to the downtown corridor is around seven to eight minutes.
She said the new station, located at 26051 Lawson St. in Black Diamond, is only a minute or two away from downtown Black Diamond and three to four minutes from the Ten Trails neighborhood. It might sound like a small decrease in response time, but Judkins said when there is a fire emergency, they send out three or four fire engines, so having a station close to downtown Black Diamond and Ten Trails increases efficiency.
“Having a second engine so close to Black Diamond will help with our efficiency on fires, as well as on CPR calls where more hands are definitely more helpful in performing CPR than just two or three firefighters who are staffing Station 98,” Judkins said.
Plans for the fire station has been in the works since the city of Black Diamond came to an agreement with Oakpointe (formerly Yarrow Bay) on the masterplan development for the Ten Trails Lawson Hills neighborhoods.
“This is a much-needed improvement. We’re glad to be part of it, and constructing the building is just the first step,” said Oakpointe CEO Brian Ross. “We need to make sure that the city and the district have the resources to get the fire station staffed and equipped, so this is just the beginning.”
City employees and other parties involved in the project shoveling the first mounds of dirt to kick off construction for the station after a few speeches.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTS
The Ten Trails master plan includes much more than just the fire station. Ross said he cannot disclose specific information yet, but they’re lining up retailers to enter the Ten Trails area.
“We’ve got non-disclosure agreements in place with all [the retailers], but it’s all of the neighborhood-type services that people need and want every day,” Ross said. “So all of the things you might imagine as far as drug stores, banks, those kinds of things.”
Photo By Joshua Solorzano/Sound Publishing Black Diamond Mayor Carol Benson and Oakpointe Communities CEO Brian Ross giving speeches before the ceremonial groundbreaking for the new Lawson Hills Fire Station.
