(Seguin) — A 75-year-old fire house in Seguin has a hot new look. The firefighting community gathered Wednesday afternoon with members of the public to rededicate the new and improved Central Fire Station located at 110 Elm St.
After eight months of being out of service, the contractors finally turned over the keys for the fire house which has undergone $2.4 million in improvements.
Those improvements include a complete makeover of the first floor and a total remodel of second floor living quarters, including the addition of a large commercial-grade kitchen area.
Additional renovations include the installation of a new HVAC system for each sleeping quarter so that they can each have control over their own heating and cooling. The remodel also adds six bathrooms plus plumbing and electrical systems throughout the facility.
Impressed with the results was former Battalion Chief Rusty Krueger who retired in 2019 after serving the city for nearly 35 years.
Krueger says taking an older facility like this and making it almost brand new again is a wonderful thing. He says this project not only saves the community money, but it also ensures the safety of its firefighters.
“It’s wonderful. The main thing is the safety for the firefighters that have to work in this station because we were in an unsafe environment for many, many years having like one bathroom facility, one shower and that sort of thing. So, the upgrade is going to bring the morale up, number one. The citizens should be proud of what has been done. Our firefighters will be safe when they come back from a fire. They can actually get into different showers and make sure the carcinogens are taken off their body which in the long run is going to save the city money because of health problems that could be happening,” said Krueger.
Krueger says not only did he contribute input for the project, but he was grateful to see that the fire house has now been equipped to continue for another 50 years.
“I’m very impressed, yes, yes. For years and years, I’ve complained about we need to move forward and make this place a more modern facility and it’s happened and so it’s been great. I had just a little bit of a planning aspect right before I retired myself and Jimmy Vogel so it’s good to see that those plans that we put into it are actually there. It’s a cool thing,” said Krueger.
Among those joining the public in a tour of the newly upgraded facility was Judy MyCue Hyatt. For Hyatt, the project was extra special in that the fire house in 2001 was rededicated in memory of her father and former Seguin Fire Chief Roger C. MyCue.
Hyatt says to see new life in a facility that operates in her father’s name is impressive and rewarding. She says she knows her father, who is also known for creating the volunteer system in the county, would have been proud of the project. She says the restoration of this building reflects the progress seen across the city.
“One thing, it’s a good sign that Seguin is growing. It’s healthy. It’s economically healthy. It’s got a good spirit about it. City committees work well, city committees with volunteered people. We have a good staff that is very capable, so I think it’s a mark on how big the city is becoming, and we are rebuilding the infrastructure especially of the old places and this is certainly a good example of that,” said Hyatt.
Also included in the project was a new climate-controlled bunker gear room, a chair lift for access to the second floor; energy-efficient LED lighting throughout; bay area floors coated, and repainted walls plus exterior doors and the trim.
The fire station was originally built in 1947. Since that time, it has only undergone two smaller renovations. Overseeing this project for the Seguin Fire Department were TSG Architects and the Koehler Company.
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- Photo by Jennifer Sourdellia
