Hot dog dinner set for Friday for Briceville Fire Department
As the Briceville Volunteer Fire Department continues work on construction of its new fire station, the department’s supporters continue to raise money for the new station.
This Friday, July 29, there will be a fundraising hot dog dinner and dessert auction for the department from 5-7 p.m. at Briceville Elementary School.
“Come and help us finish the new fire hall,” the event’s planners say.
Tickets for the fundraiser are $8 for age 11 and up, and $5 for children up to age 10.
Work began in June on the concrete floor and foundation of the new fire department headquarters and station, at 1916 Briceville Highway (Tennessee Route 116).
“We’re just really excited about it,” Fire Chief Jamie Brewster said as construction was about to start.
After a nearly three-year delay, groundbreaking for the new fire hall was held May 12, shortly after most of the elements of the steel building were delivered to the site.
The new building will replace a smaller one just east of the main Briceville intersection on Briceville Highway that has served the department for more than 42 years.
When it opens, the new fire station will include some features not present in the current station, such as air conditioning, Brewster said.
Initially, the new station will have two bays for vehicles, but there are plans to add two more later, the chief said.
It was nearly three years ago that the fire department held a ceremony in Briceville announcing plans to build the new station, using mostly a grant and loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, along with a contribution from Anderson County.
At that time, September 2019, construction was expected to begin within a month on the new station. But the project hit some snags, exacerbated by the COVID pandemic, supply-chain issues, and higher costs for building supplies.
The initial estimate of $184,000 to build the station rose by $75,000, and the Briceville Volunteer Fire Department had to scale down the project and come up with extra money just to limit the cost increase to the $75,000.
Additional financing has now come from the Anderson County Commission, so the project was finally able to get underway.
Donations to Briceville VFD can be sent to P.O. Box 238, Briceville, TN 37710.