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Spartan Magazine
City of Austin Begins Construction on Fire/EMS Station on Edge of Campus
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s part of its efforts to improve fire department and emergency medical services (EMS) response times, the City of Austin recently embarked on a program to build new joint fire/EMS stations in
five areas identified as having immediate needs for better coverage. These five areas include Del Valle/Moore’s Crossing, Travis Country, Loop 360/ Davenport, Goodnight Ranch and Canyon Creek. The city approached St. Stephen’s in 2020 with a request to build a new station on campus, which offers an ideal location and ample space for the Loop 360/Davenport area. A series of discussions ensued that included the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, which owns the land on which campus is situated. As discussions progressed, city officials hosted several in-person meetings and conference calls with local community members to share proposed design plans, as well as respond to questions and concerns. According to the terms of the agreement, the city entered into a 40-year lease with the Diocese to build and operate a fire/EMS station on a two-acre plot of land located on the northeast corner of the St. Stephen’s campus. Fire and EMS vehicles will enter and exit the station directly off Westlake Drive. Construction began in December 2021 and is expected to continue for about 16 months, with no disruption to school operations and minimal, if any, impact on traffic coming into and out of school. “The safety and well-being of our school community is the primary reason that St. Stephen’s entered into this land-use partnership,” said Head of School Chris Gunnin. “The new station will ensure rapid response should an emergency happen on our campus. We also view this project as an opportunity to be a good community citizen, as it will also decrease fire/ EMS response times to residents and businesses in the area.” —david e. perryman, ph.d., chief marketing and communications officer
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