WFU, Winston-Salem discussing construction of building for firefighters, police

Wake Forest University and the City of Winston-Salem are discussing a proposal to construct a building on the western edge of campus that would serve as a city fire station and an office for University Police.

The building would be located on Reynolda Road, near the entrance to the university’s Reynolda Campus. It would replace a smaller, nearby fire station, directly across the street from the entrance to Wake Forest’s Reynolda Business Center.

The proposed project will benefit the university and the city, according to John P. Anderson, Wake Forest vice president for finance and administration. The city needs a larger facility in the area, providing adequate space for male and female firefighters as well as sufficient equipment. The building will enable the university to have a fire station on campus, while also providing an adequate new home for University Police.

In addition to individual space for the fire department and University Police, the building would provide shared classroom space for both groups.

The city would also build a short road that would run from the building to Wake Forest Road, near the campus Welcome Center. A driveway will also give the station direct access to Reynolda Road.

Through a long-term easement to the city, Wake Forest has offered the land for the combination city fire station/University Police office and will pay a portion of the building’s construction costs. The university will cover approximately $500,000 of the building’s estimated $1.5 million cost.

Part of the proposal calls for the city to maintain the entire building and pay all utility costs.

The university would receive from the city the land where the current fire station is located.

The university’s portion of the cost would come from money the university received from the sale of underground fiber optic cable to DukeNet, a subsidiary of Duke Energy Corporation.

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