AVALON – Avalon Borough Council Sept. 8 voted unanimously to award the contract for the Avalon fire station addition and renovations to Arthur J. Ogren Inc., a Vineland construction firm that built the borough’s police department building.
The $6.5 million addition and renovation were driven by the need to store equipment that was not part of the inventory when the station was initially designed and built in the 1980s. The project will also provide improved living space for the volunteer firefighters.
Fire Chief Ed Dean said the institution of an overnight staffing program complicated the space needs since the building was not originally designed to accommodate housing firefighters overnight.
Dean added that the renovations will also improve the ability of the building to serve as a shelter during disaster events.
