Lyon's newest fire station ready for business

DAYTON - Central Lyon County firefighters shined up their engines for today's open house for the Sutro station.

The public is invited to join in the dedication of Lyon County's newest fire station.

The opening of the Sutro Station at 231 Corral Drive will be from noon to 4 p.m. today. A ribbon cutting is scheduled for 1 p.m. Refreshments will be served and the facility will be open for tours.

District Chief Bill Driscoll gives credit to Capt. Mark Darragh for seeing the project through from the beginning.

"He endured four fire chiefs and brought it to a successful conclusion," Driscoll said of the district's chief of training and operations. "I just happened to show up at the end."

Off Fortune Drive, east of Dayton on Highway 50, the station houses district administrative offices, paramedic quarters and three vehicle bays.

Driscoll said the financing package closed escrow and the station is now recorded in the district's name.

"This station will serve us for a long, long time. It is a real bargain for the district. We are pleased with it and the district deserves it," he said.

Area developers agreed to build the station in three phases at no cost to the district, beginning each phase as a prescribed number of homes were sold. With both developers and district officials wanting the station built in its entirety as a "turn-key" operation and acknowledging the number of homes to trigger Phase III would not be met for some time, construction was delayed for several months as a financial agreement was negotiated to cover construction costs for the final phase.

A low-interest loan was arranged through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development program. Repayment will be through available funds with no additional tax on residents.