Gwinnett officials celebrated the opening of Fire Station 13 with a ribbon cutting at the station’s new home at 105 Main Street in Suwanee.

The $7.8 million project was funded by Gwinnett’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. The new facility serves more than 29,000 residents and local businesses across 25 square miles in and around the city of Suwanee.  First Station 13 is 10,788-square-feet, provides three drive-thru apparatus bays, room for 24-hour staffing for an engine and a medic unit and was built to accommodate Gwinnett’s future growth with room for up to 12 personnel.

“Gwinnett County’s population keeps growing with no expectation for that growth to stop any time soon, and one of the ways we keep up with that growth is by ensuring we have the people and facilities to continue providing essential services to almost a million residents, plus our businesses and visitors,” said Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Nicole Hendrickson. “With the critical work that they do, it’s essential that our first responders have adequate, comfortable facilities where they can be stationed between calls.”

While the facility was under construction, Fire Station 13 crews responded to calls from nearby stations. The city of Suwanee provided about two acres of land to the County for the new station. Suwanee Mayor Jimmy Burnette described how the station fits into the Town Center on Main project.

“Buford Highway was the home of Fire Station 13 for nearly 20 years and served as an anchor to the creation of Town Center; this new location will appropriately serve as an anchor to the expansion of that same park,” said Mayor Burnette. “We are pleased to be a part of this city-County partnership and to properly welcome Station 13 back home!”

Fire Station 13 was built to meet EarthCraft Light Commercial green building standards, which support the County’s sustainability goals and focus on energy and water efficiency, building durability, and improved occupant health and comfort.

Reeves Young built the facility as designed by Precision Planning.