The Wesley Chapel Volunteer Fire Department will show off its new digs to the public Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.
The department opened the new Station 31 location on Aug. 8, moving from a three-bay substation on Providence Road to a nearby site on New Town Road.
The station is one of two operated by the Wesley Chapel VFD and serves portions of Weddington, Marvin and Waxhaw.
This weekend's event is in conjunction with the department's third Annual Fire Prevention Open House to educate the community about fire safety.
Included in the festivities will be the Union County fire safety house and a fire rescue demonstration. Kids can join Sparky the Fire Dog and Smokey Bear to complete the fire safety adventure course. Fire trucks will be on display for a close-up view, and the MedCenter Air Helicopter may visit as well.
Construction on the 17,000 square-foot facility, located just inside Weddington's town limits, began in the spring of last year. The two-story brick and steel building includes four bays with enough space to hold six trucks and a medic team with ambulance. It also has offices for staff, a kitchen, a 50-person training room, four bedrooms and an exercise room.
The project cost $1.77 million and will be paid over a loan period out of the Wesley Chapel fire department's annual budget. Revenues come from a yearly fire tax, donations, a monthly stipend from the county and two barbecue fund-raisers.
The next one is Oct. 9 at the department's main station 26 on Waxhaw-Indian Trail Road, which serves Wesley Chapel, parts of Indian Trail and Weddington and some unincorporated areas of Union County.
WANT TO GO?
The grand opening of Wesley Chapel Volunteer Fire Department Station 31 and a Fire Prevention Open House are noon-4 p.m. Saturday. The station is at 8821 New Town Road; from Weddington, go south on Providence Road and turn right on New Town Road at the flashing light. The station is about a half mile on the left.
