Reconstruction has begun on East Riverside Drive joint Fire/EMS station

There’s good news if you live near East Riverside Drive, speaking from a public safety perspective. The city has broken ground on reconstruction of the joint Fire/EMS station at 5309 E. Riverside Drive, a project that’s aimed at lowering emergency response times in the area. It’s one of several priority stations slated for renovation/reconstruction. “This is another step towards the goal of improving service to areas with low response times and/or high population growth,” Austin Fire Chief Joel G. Baker said in a prepared statement. “With these new, rebuilt, and renovated stations in the pipeline, I’m looking forward to seeing us achieve our goals of responding quickly and efficiently to the City’s emergency needs.” Once revamped, the East Riverside Drive Fire/EMS station will include the following features:

• More than 10,600 square feet of space
• A three-vehicle apparatus bay with fitness room
• A U.S. Green Building design, with a Council (USGBC) LEED Silver rating
• A design that showcases integrated concepts of technology and nature
• Integrated Art in Public Places art