Nearly six months after opening the fire station at Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport, officials ceremoniously cut the ribbon on the $6.5 million facility Friday, thanking local, state and federal funding for the construction.
Judge-Executive Al Mattingly spoke at the ribbon cutting, pointing out that 90 percent of the fire station project was paid for by federal dollars, thanking Senator Mitch McConnell and Congressman Brett Guthrie for their efforts in securing the funds.
The remaining 10 percent of the project was funded by a split between state dollars and Daviess County Fiscal Court.
“If you think about it, we got a $6.5 million project for $250,000 a piece,” Mattingly said. “This type of infrastructure is extremely expensive, but it’s also extremely vital to this community, particularly from the standpoint of public safety.”
Ed Riney, chair of the Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport board, also addressed the crowd stating he hopes the state-of-the-art station will serve the community for the next 100 years.
“Starting something is really hard, completing it is difficult, but getting it started with the budget restraints we had, is commendable,” Riney said of former Daviess County Fire Chief Dwane Smeathers and former airport director Bob Whitmer.
The new station boasts over 15,000 square feet of space and now reigns as Daviess County’s largest fire station.
The new building for the Daviess County airport station includes updated equipment and technology and a three-story training tower that includes rope tie-ons, space for aircraft emergency rescue simulations — including an airplane door mock-up — and a gym for the firefighters.