By Craig Kelly
The Lima News
ELIDA, Ohio — Motorists traveling along Elida Road will soon see activity in the field next to BioLife Plasma Center. By the time work in that area is finished, the American Township Fire Department will have a new home.
While the 4.54-acre property at 4239 Elida Road was purchased in 2022 by the township for $210,000 using American Rescue Plan Act funds, the new, $5.76 million structure will be funded by the township after the department worked to save money to cover the cost of construction, American Township Fire Chief Thomas Hadding said.
“Before we even started the project, we had to have $5 million before we were even allowed to sign any paperwork or go out to bid for an architect or anything,” he said. “We try to pay for everything up front.”
Saving that kind of money took a lot of time and effort, including taking on tasks that may otherwise have been contracted out.
“We have been putting back in our budget,” he said. “Everyone in the fire department helped with reducing costs. We do a lot of our own fixing. These guys step up to help save money for the taxpayers. If we can do something in-house, we do it instead of sending it out. And then our fiscal officer, Brady Overholt, has been just awesome.”
The result of all of that work will be a six-bay fire station complete with updated amenities, including larger sleeping quarters for firefighters.
For Hadding, the move from the current Station 1 at 105 W. Main St. in Elida, which is expected to come in June 2026, will be hard, but the current limitations of the 57-year-old building and its location make the move necessary. Those limitations include limited parking options, smaller bays and cramped sleeping quarters.
“When this station was built, they ran anywhere from 50 to 100 calls, and we’re running over 3,000 calls now,” he said. “Guys didn’t sleep here then, so we’ve just outgrown it. We’ve worn it out.”
The station, designed by the Ottawa-based Technicon Design Group, will also allow for larger equipment that the current station cannot accommodate, Hadding said. He does hope, however, that the current station will still find new life under new ownership.
“I think it would make a great office for somebody or maybe a repair or a mechanical shop,” he said. “I’m hoping that a business will come in and that it will help with the economy for the village.”
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