(La Porte County, IN) - Scipio Township has broken ground on a new station for its volunteer fire department.

 

The new facility will also be located at 500 West near Pinola. It’s on a parcel behind the Family Express donated by a local landowner.

 

The current fire station was built in 1954. According to Scipio Township Trustee Kaelynn Deckard, “We’ve really grown out of that station. It was really designed for trucks at that time. Trucks have gotten bigger, equipment has grown.”

 

The new building will be over 4,000 square feet. It will have room for an engine and a tanker, as well as a meeting room and locker space for firefighters. It is being built by Core Construction at a cost not to exceed $2.5 million and should be completed late this year or early 2024.

 

Scipio Township’s service district includes Pinola, the La Porte County Fairgrounds, La Porte County Home, Juvenile Detention Center, and four state and county highways. Scipio is unique in that it has two fire stations. The main one, Station 2, is located near the La Porte Municipal Airport. The Pinola facility, Station 1, handles calls west of State Road 39, Deckard said.