The Ainsworth Fire Department received a six-figure grant to help build a new fire station. 

Wednesday night several Ainsworth fire fighters were in attendance at the spring Washington County Riverboat Foundation grant ceremony in Riverside. The WCRF awarded the AFD with a two-year grant worth $330,000. This was the largest grant of the evening awarded, and the only competitive grant to reach six figures. The money will go towards a new fire station to replace the outdated facility they currently operate out of.

Since the 1980s the department has been working out of building originally built as a gas station and tire shop. Chief Waylon Schultz says the building was fine for a while, but times have changed, “When the department moved out there, we only had two trucks. Now we have four trucks that are much bigger because we carry a lot more equipment. We’re really cramped for space in there. We’ve got firefighters getting dressed around the vehicles when we’re pulling out to go to fires, so that’s a safety concern.”

The grant will be paid out in two installments, $210,000 this year then the other $120,000 next year. The estimated cost for the new facility is around $500,000. Once ground is broken, Schultz believes construction will take three months.