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By Scott Nicholson
The Watauga Democrat

The town of Blowing Rock has received approval of a loan for more than $2 million to construct a new emergency services and fire department building.

The town has been planning an expanded facility for years to replace the current facility on Park Avenue . Several years ago, the town bought approximately two acres of land known as the “Keyes property,” behind the Subway Restaurant on the U.S. 321 Bypass. The land will hold a 19,000-square-foot building

The loan will be granted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development. Fifth District Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-Watauga, helped secure the funds.

“Blowing Rock's current fire and EMS facilities do not have enough space to adequately house their vehicles or train their personnel,” she said in a statement. “A new station will help the fire and EMS department to improve their response times and increase the overall quality of their services.”

The facility will service a 52-square-mile region, including the downtown area and Appalachian Ski Mountain. The coverage area includes U.S. 221, U.S. 321 past Tweetsie Railroad, the Sampson area, and to the border of Caldwell County .

Staffing will remain the same at four and a-half paid positions, and the town has 45 fire and rescue volunteers.

Fire Marshal Kent Graham said the current facility is so crowded “you almost have to open a cab and go through to get to the other side of the building.”

However, the biggest concern over the current location is the possible delay in response times due to traffic congestion downtown.

Graham said that not only affected volunteers coming in to reach the station, but trucks responding to calls. The new location will allow for quicker response, particularly when U.S. 321 is widened to four lanes.

The new facility will have a pump-testing pit for required annual testing of all trucks, an exhaust removal system, and a service bay.

The Blowing Rock Board of Commissioners completed the application at their last meeting. The town must first secure a construction loan and start work on the building. Construction is likely to begin in the spring. When it is completed in about a year and a-half to two years, the federal loan will pay off the construction loan. The town will then repay the money at a fixed interest rate of 4.25 percent over 40 years.

The current facility will be used as additional space for the parks and recreation department and police department.

*Scott Nicholson can be contacted at nicholson@wataugademocrat.com