By Amber Greene—
MUNCIE, IN—After nearly 40 years, the City of Muncie will soon see a new fire station. The new Fire Station No.6, to be located at the corner of Highland Ave. and Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard, will replace the current Fire Station No.6 which has served the city and the Whitely neighborhood for 65 years.
On Friday October 25, 2024 representatives from GM, Hagerman, the City of Muncie and the Muncie Fire Department, along with many community members, and neighbors gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony. During remarks, Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour said, “I am greatly appreciative to all of the people that have pushed hard to make this happen. There has been opposition, but we’re here, it is about to happen. It is wonderful for our city, it is wonderful for this neighborhood, it’s wonderful for the fire department, and it’s wonderful for EMS. I’m really looking forward to it.”
The mayor went on to thank those councilpersons involved with the first step in the process of bringing the new station to life. “I mostly want to thank those seven council members who voted for the bond including Councilperson Garrett, Councilperson Selvey, Councilperson Mason, Councilperson Macintosh, Council President Dishman, Councilperson Green, and Councilperson Basham. Without the approval from these seven, this project could not have moved forward.”
Artist rendering
After remarks from representatives from both GM Development and Hagerman GC, Muncie Fire Department Chief Burford said, “We wanted to build not just for today, but we wanted to provide a little bit for the future of the City of Muncie.”
Gratitude seemed to be the prominent theme from Chief Burford, as he closed the ceremony with his sincere statement of thanks. “I want to thank the mayor for getting this started. I want to thank the city council, RQAW and their folks and I want to thank the committee that originally started. I also want to thank the public that supported us, and I especially want to thank the neighborhood that has shown us support.”
Listen to audio from the groundbreaking ceremony below.
Amber Greene is Director of Communications for the City of Muncie.
