North Mason Fire moves to new home

Kirk Boxleitner | May 19, 20220

Gordon Weeks count

North Mason Regional Fire Authority officially moved into its new 21,000-square-foot headquarters building Monday.

The North Mason Regional Fire Authority spoke with the Shelton-Mason County Journal on Monday about its new headquarters building at 490 NE Old Belfair Highway.

"It's been a crazy morning," North Mason RFA Chief Beau Bakken said. "We spent all of last week making the move into this facility. By the afternoon of Friday, May 13, we knew we had to have everything over here that we would need in order to function."

Bakken deemed Friday night the station's "special soft grand opening," leading into the following morning's pancake breakfast at the station, which he estimated drew at least 400 attendees.

"We gave them all the tour, to show everything off, and for the most part, they were just in awe of what they saw," Bakken said. "Of course, plenty of folks have driven by this place while it was under construction, but this was their first opportunity to get inside the building and check it out for themselves."

Bakken noted Monday night would be the staff's first full night in the building, after they'd completed the phone system's connections and finished hanging pictures on the walls throughout the day.

"The most frequently voiced compliments we received were that this facility is big and beautiful," Bakken said. "What we also heard a lot from the public was how much our responders deserved such a building."

Bakken sees the facility's size and durability as demonstrations of the Regional Fire Authority's commitment to the community.

"We wanted a facility that could serve the community for the next 50 years," Bakken said. "It's built to last for the next generations of personnel. We wanted this to be a crown jewel of fire and emergency service, that the community could take pride in, especially with the bond we asked them for."

Bakken said another frequent comment he heard from visitors was sentiments to the effect of, "Wow, I didn't know you'd pull off this much with that bond!"

"I'm happy to point out, over and over, that we completed this project on time and on budget, in spite of all the complications of COVID," Bakken said. "We were shooting for that May 16 date, and we made it, and not a moment too soon. This Monday, we officially opened at 8 a.m., and at 8:05 a.m., we got our first call and sent our trucks rolling out the garage doors, even though the garage doors are still being installed."

Bakken thanked the community for its support and invited people to stop by.

During March, the North Mason Regional Fire Authority had already sought proposals for public art to be displayed inside Fire Station 21.

Bakken said the majority of pieces will be displayed in the building's lobby and training room, which will be open to the public during business hours.