Construction of Longview fire training tower, burn building complete

Construction of a Longview fire training tower and burn building is finished with the full project on track for completion by May 2024.

Longview voters in 2018 approved a bond package that allocated $52.41 million for police and fire facilities with $2.21 million dedicated for a multi-use training center and a fire training burn building and tower off Eastman Road.

Kevin Chumbley, assistant director of Public Works, said construction of the building and tower was finished this past week at a final cost of $933,610. However, several items as well as sitework still need to be completed before the facility can open, he said.

Sitework includes construction of a concrete path that will wrap around the buildings and connect to a new road set to be built off of Eastman Road; drainage work; installation of water and sewer lines; and electrical work.

"The sitework that hasn't been completed or started at this point ... it's about to be bid out for construction," he said. "I anticipate that will be around May of next year before we complete that."

The sitework will be paid for with remaining project funds from the bond.

While the initial plan for the bond-funded project included a police and fire training center, Chumbley said if the city decided to move forward with that plan, it would need to be paid for separately.

In September 2021, the Longview City Council rejected four bids for a police and fire training center. An architect's estimate had placed the facility's cost at $2 million, but bids ranged from almost $4.2 million to more than $4.9 million.

Fire Marshal Kevin May said the new burn building and tower will help crews better train in real world scenarios.

Tank cars from Stamper Park have been moved to the new location in the Longview Business Park off Eastman Road.

May said the department was able to host a tank car school at the property that provides training about tank car construction and an integrated emergency management plan for train derailments.

The training tower and burn building also will be used to practice search and rescue training, high-angle rope rescue, repellant exercises and more, May said.

Fire Chief J.P. Steelman said a good bit of work needs to be done before fire crews can utilize the buildings for training.

"There's still a lot of groundwork that has to be done before we can fully utilize it, but we're excited to see the progress we've made so far," Steelman said.

According to Chumbley, the overall project is about 50% complete.

I'm Yoleyne Romero and my beat includes city/county government. I'm a graduate from The University of Texas at Tyler with a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communication. I have a dog named Okami that provides endless sunshine in my life.