(Image: SFD)

Moving day (Image: SFD)

The firefighters of  E Roanoke’s Station 22 are back home this week after a nearly two-year construction project to expand and overhaul the facility.

Crews have been working from a temporary station setup in Eastlake during the demolition and construction project that began in early 2016. Construction had been planned to be wrapped up in summer. The project is part of a 2003 levy vote to fund construction at 32 fire stations around the city, and construct a handful of other facilities. At the time of the vote, construction was anticipated to start in 2007 but the project was delayed for the state’s Route 520 project. At the time of the levy, the anticipated budget for a new Station 22 was $4.8 million. Cost estimates ballooned to $11.7 million. Some of the rise can be attributed to changes in the construction environment from 13 years ago, officials said, including changes to building codes, prevailing wage increases, and inflation. The $11.7 million total price tag also included around $2 million in contingency budget — we’re checking to find out where the final total came in. UPDATE: A department spokesperson tells CHS the final planned budget was $13.352 million but a final official cost isn’t known.

The new station has more than doubled the space of the original, expanding the 1964-built structure from about 4,000 square feet to 10,000 square feet. The new, two-story station has a concrete hose tower, and a brick and glass façade and is designed to be eco-friendly, with a LEED gold certification, including solar panels, an underground stormwater cistern which will provide 100% of the station’s non-drinking water needs, permeable pavers in public areas, and a host of other sustainable features.

The station has been home to a single engine, an officer and three firefighters on duty at any given time, with a total staff of 16 firefighters assigned to the station working in four shifts. SFD says that mix won’t change. The fire house is headquarters for Engine 22 and SFD’s Communications and Command Van.

A community party to celebrate the reopening is being planned for early 2018.

This week firefighters moved in to the new Station 22 located next to the Roanoke exit and on-ramp for Interstate 5. #openforbusiness pic.twitter.com/reRHHBynec

— Seattle Fire Dept. (@SeattleFire) November 2, 2017