Linda Harris sends in this snazzy announcement…

But will there be flaming shots?

As a self-certified, fake journalist, I promise you an answer to this most pressing of fake questions.  I swear on my diploma from Blogger University.

GLC writes in that he’s considering purchasing a home very close to the location of the new Oakhurst fire station and wonders whether there are any noise ordinances on the books that apply to the Decatur Fire Dept. The only thing I can find in the city’s noise ordinance is an EXEMPTION for city emergency vehicles.

So to help GLC out, I appeal to the expansive knowledge of my readers. What’s your experience living next to or near a fire station? (if it was the old Oakhurst fire station, even better) Are the sirens frequent and obnoxious?

Asst. Director Linda Harris of the city’s Community and Economic Development Department was good enough to forward along this press release regarding the construction of the new Oakhurst Fire Station.

Construction to Start on Decatur Fire Station No. 2 in Oakhurst Village

The City Commission has awarded a contract for the construction of Fire Station No. 2 to the low bidder, Ward General Contractors of Kennesaw, in the amount of $1,434,000. The new fire station is located at 356 West Hill Street in Oakhurst Village.

Construction of the new fire station is being funded by the City’s capital bond program. LP3 Architects of Decatur designed the building, which is expected to be the City of Decatur’s first LEED certified building. Construction is expected to begin during the week of July 21, 2008 and to last about 10 months.

Anyone with questions regarding construction should contact Hugh Saxon – Deputy City Manager, at 678-553-6507.

It looks like $1.6 mil was originally set aside for this project, so hopefully the city will be able to come in a little under budget on this project. Renovation planning is already under way for Fire Station #1 on Trinity too, but construction won’t begin before #2 in Oakhurst is complete.

Here’s a sketch of #1’s renovation…looks like they’re adding some sort of tower.

Yesterday, Rebecca wrote in to Decatur Metro asking what was up at the Oakhurst Fire Station. She reports that the doors are locked tight and the grass is looking a little unkempt these day. Well, due to my obsessive Decaturga.com trolling, I knew that Oakhurst was indeed getting a new, funky $1.6 mil firehouse under the bond fund projects, but wasn’t sure when and why the old one was already closed up.

Well, like he read my mind, today Carl writes in with a link to an AJC article, which reports that the Fire Station received final approval this past Monday. Aside from the fact that there was no meeting this past Monday (approval was given on the 16th), the article states “During construction, the one firefighter company will work out of the city’s main fire station downtown. The move could affect response times, though some residents shrug off the move.”

But Carl begs to differ and reiterates Rebecca’s eyewitness account…”Any idea when the station actually closed? I believe it was months ago. The article makes it sound as if only during construction will the firefighters be moved to downtown, when in reality the place has been abandoned for ages.”

So, there’s your answer Rebecca! Does anybody have an approximate date of when Station 2 actually closed?