EUFR awaits funding to build new HQ
By Terry Murry on Monday, October 11th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WESTON – East Umatilla Fire and Rescue is getting ready for a new headquarters in Weston. The Oregon Legislature has approved $4.9 million to fund the construction. Chief Dave Baty will not being construction until the money is in hand.
“We’re not going to spend what we haven’t gotten yet,” he said. “The guys hear me say this all the time: This is Mom and Dad’s money. We need to spend it like that.”
Baty said they have seen some basic designs, but haven’t settled on any one thing yet.
“It’s going to be basically a headquarters station with the satellite stations in Helix, Athena, and Adams,” he said. “We’re looking forward to it.”
While he’s excited about the construction, he’s also cautious.
“When you’re spending public dollars for a public project, there are many, many legal hoops that need to be jumped through correctly and properly,” he said. “Not just ‘we did this,’ but it has to be done the right way.”
The area served by EUFR covers more than 420 square miles. The district encompasses communities that, prior to its establishment, provided solely volunteer emergency services.
