The Star - News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area

Elmer City will be receiving $772,000 in state dollars towards a new fire station after the state House and Senate passed their 2022-23 supplemental capital budget. 

In March of 2021, Elmer City Public Works Director Jimmer Tillman, who has volunteered as a firefighter for about 30 years, told the town council he would be looking into options for funding a new facility for the Elmer City fire department, also known as Okanogan County Fire District #2. 

Earlier this month, the city found out they would be receiving $772,000 towards the project. 

Tillman told the good news to everyone at their March 10 town council meeting.

In a Zoom meeting a couple months ago, he, Mayor Jesse Tillman, Fire Chief Dave Finch, City Clerk Gary Benton, and 12th Legislative District Rep. Mike Steele discussed funding the project.

“We really didn’t think we’d get it,” Jimmer Tillman said, “but low and behold we got a call from Mike Steele saying he got the budget appropriation approved.”

Tillman explained that they would keep the old station and build the new one behind it on a lot that is “cleared and ready to go.”

“Currently our station only holds five fire trucks,” he said, adding that they have three more trucks stored outside. They’ll be able to store them inside with the construction of the new building.

The current building will still be used for meetings and other things he said.

“We really owe a big thank you to Representative Steele,” Benton said. “He really came through for us. In the end he supported the whole project. He did an awesome job for us, as did our engineers from Gray and Osborne. And Jimmer did a great job doing the presentation about the fire station and why we need it. Everything just fell together really well.”

There isn’t yet a timeline for construction of the new building. 

Steele, the lead Republican negotiator on the House Capital Budget Committee, announced the fire station improvement grant March 9 as part of $10.5 million the 12th District will receive for capital (building) projects in the 2022-23 supplemental capital budget.

“This year's capital budget was truly historic,” Steele said in a press release. “In a supplemental budget year, we are making more statewide community investments than the previously approved two-year plan. I’m extremely happy to see the number of projects included for our communities.”