photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

A Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical ambulance is pictured on July 5, 2023 and Station No. 2 in eastern Lawrence.

Ahead of the first public engagement meeting for the design of Lawrence’s new fire station in the northwestern part of the city, project leaders plan to provide details about how the design attempts reduce the impact to the neighborhood.

Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical will be hosting a public listening session about plans for the new fire station dubbed “Station 6” Monday night, as the Journal-World reported. Both the County Commission and City Commission voted in September to approve a plan for the station to be at 555 Stoneridge Drive, which currently houses a water tower and is near the intersection of Sixth Street and George Williams Way.

Steven Hallstrom, a project manager with the city’s Municipal Services and Operations department, told the Journal-World the design phase is “about 30% complete,” and the aim for this meeting is to introduce more details about the design to the public and get residents’ feedback on how to have it fit into the neighborhood. Hallstrom said part of the goal of the meeting will be to present considerations the city has put into the design to reduce the stress on the stormwater system and to mitigate noise, lighting and other operational impacts.

“Our goal is to make sure the new station supports our growing community while keeping any impacts on nearby homes as low as possible,” Hallstrom said.

The project will be the first time that LDCFM has expanded its operational footprint since 2005, Hallstrom said, and the recent expansion of Lawrence “significantly increased service demand,” leading to longer response times that fall outside of the city’s 4-minute response time standard for first-arriving units. Hallstrom said adding in Station 6 would bring the northwestern corner of the city back within that standard, as well as reducing the strain on existing stations.

The station will be 12,983 square feet and feature several office spaces; bunks, toilets and showers for the crew; a kitchen/dining area and three drive-thru bays. Although the current building is several thousand square feet smaller than initial estimates, Hallstrom said the fact it has three bays makes it similar “to all but one” station in the city.

The total estimated cost for Station 6 is $12.9 million and the city and county are planning to share the expense, with the city covering 64% and the county contributing 36% — the same funding ratio used for LDCFM operations under their shared governance agreement.

While the city and county have put aside funds to construct the station, there has not been any firm estimate of what it will cost to fully staff it. During budget discussions this fall, city budget analysts suggested the initial estimate for the costs to fully staff the station would be $4.7 million.

Although those costs may be up in the air, Hallstrom said the focus on this open house will be focused on the capital project and its design aspects. Discussions about the operating expenses, staffing and service levels will be had during the budget process “throughout 2026 and 2027,” according to Hallstrom.

The city will be working on the station’s design “through 2026 and possibly into 2027,” according to Hallstrom. Construction is expected to start for the station in 2027, with the goal for it to be fully operational in 2028.

The listening session about Station 6 will take place on Monday at the Tom Wilkerson Room at the Lawrence Aquatic Center, 4706 Overland Drive, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.