Ashley Rodrigue / Eyewitness News
Email: arodrigue@wwltv.com | Twitter: @ashleyrwwl
SLIDELL, La. -- A brand new fire station could be headed to one Northshore community for free.
Three years ago, CVS drug store made an offer to St. Tammany Parish Fire District #1 for Station #7 on the corner of Robert Road and Brownswitch. The pitch included trading the property and building for new land, where a new station would be built by the business, in the Johnny Smith Industrial Park off of Hwy. 11.
The cost, almost $2 million, is all on the drug store's dime.
"The erection and construction of a new fire station at no cost to the tax payers, put in a place which is more advantageous to serve the public safety profile," said Fire District #1 Chief Larry Hess.
The new station will be in a place that's never had one, putting service in a more central location. The plan is to have a groundbreaking in a few months, and have construction complete less than a year later.
Neighbors nearby give it two thumbs up.
"We like to have a fire department close to us, just in case, you never know," said Darren Landreneau.
Hess said, "This was just, from a public agency standpoint, a win-win-win circumstance."
This move isn't only a plus for the fire department. It's going to pay off for homeowners in insurance ratings, which means cheaper insurance bills.
"I'm hoping that it will reduced by one, which is a normal savings of about $300 on a person's homeowners' insurance," said Hess.
The Parish Zoning Commission is considering the deal tonight. If approved, it heads to the Parish Council for final approval.
