91ÊÓƵ

The city of Hillsboro is taking bids from contractors to construct a new fire station near Hillsboro Airport.

The new building will replace the existing Parkwood fire station, located at 275 N.E. 25^th Ave. Built in the 1970s as a temporary station, the current site is too small to locate a new station. Instead, the city of Hillsboro has leased land near the Port of Portland’s Hillsboro Airport to construct the replacement station.

Designed by Group Mackenzie, the new fire station will be 13,000 square feet, according to Storm Smith, public information and education officer with Hillsboro Fire and Rescue. The new site will be able to accommodate larger fire apparatus and have space to house the department’s battalion chief who oversees all of Hillsboro’s fire stations, Smith said.

Smith declined to give an estimated cost for the project, saying the city is waiting to see what contractors put in their bids. Bids are due to the city of Hillsboro by Jan. 20, 2011. The project will take about nine months to construct, and Fire Rescue hopes to occupy the new station by the end of 2011.