by JEN BIUNDO
Hays County Emergency Service District #8 President Jim Weatherford and past board member Mike Huckaby uncouple the hose on the new station, the firefighter version of cutting the red ribbon.
The Buda Fire Department cut the ribbon – actually, make that uncoupled the hose – on their third fire station east of Buda in the Sunfield development Saturday afternoon.
“This is your station,” Fire Chief Clay Huckaby told the crowd gathered to celebrate the event. “You’re welcome here at any time.”
Attendees at the ceremony toured the new station, as youngsters climbed on gleaming fire trucks and firefighters served up lunch to the crowd.
The 8,200 square foot station was designed by the Round Rock-based Spencer Godfrey Architects and constructed by the firm Braun & Butler, of Austin. Total costs were $1.67 million.
“This is what you’re paying for – top notch service in the Buda area,” Huckaby said.
The facility shares a design with another newly-constructed station on the west side of the city next to the Buda Sportsplex.
Buda Fire Department Lieutenant Daniel Baum, Driver Daniel Hernandez and Captain Gary Langshaw prepare to hoist the flag over the new fire station. (Photos by Jen Biundo)
Due in part to the construction of the new stations, Buda’s Insurance Services Office rating will jump from a 7 to a 3, effective this June, with 10 being the worst possible rating and 1 being the best. That may translate into a 15 percent drop in homeowners’ insurance rates and a 33 percent drop in commercial rates for local property owners later in the year.
