Progress is being made on the new Cartersville Volunteer Fire House currently under construction on Route 45, just across the street from the Cartersville Volunteer Rescue Squad building at 1667 Cartersville Road.

Property was purchased for the station in late 2015 and construction began soon after. Lynchburg-based Jamerson-Lewis Construction Co. has been working on the building since last fall.

County Emergency Services Chief Tom Perry said the new building has faced delays, noting he expects the new station to open this fall.

“Construction is still going,” Perry said. “We are still a ways away, and still working through the process.”

Kevin O’Brien, project manager of the project for Jamerson-Lewis Construction Co., said apart from adding the finishing touches to the roof, metal siding and a final inspection, the building’s exterior was nearly finished. 

He said the fire department would work on the building’s interior, installing supplies for the classrooms, living quarters and bay area with a separate contractor installing the doors.

“We’re pretty much done there,” O’Brien said.

The existing fire house has faced issues with limited space as the building is located between two businesses, which made transporting equipment, including fire trucks, challenging.

The building also does not have its own water or septic system.

The design for the new building, O’Brien said, is approximately 80 feet by 100 feet.

Sixty feet by 80 feet will include the bay area, which will house emergency rescue vehicles and 40 feet by 80 feet will include living quarters.

The department and volunteers have a 30-square-mile service area, which includes portions around the James River, a nearby railroad, a nearby tank farm and the developing Cobbs Creek Reservoir.

The project is expected to cost between $300,000 to $500,000.

“It’s moving forward,” Perry said. “We’re hoping to have completion of it by fall.”