Fire station
Some readers were disappointed to learn a construction site on South Limestone Street would not be a Firehouse Subs, but instead an actual fire station.
The city of Springfield is building a new fire station at 2040 S. Limestone St. in conjunction with Clark State College, which will pay $1.3 million of the projected $6.7 million overall cost.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
The groundbreaking ceremony happened in November, but work on the site has picked up in the last week or so and will help reshape the area when work is complete.
Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck has said the new station will be more efficient and more accommodating to a more diverse workforce than existing stations.
Clark State President Jo Alice Blondin said students will use the space and resources at the station for training. She called it a national model for cities and colleges to provide experiential learning.
The fire station is expected to be ready to open by the end of this year.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Chipotle
Further south on Limestone Street at Leffel Lane, a fast-casual Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant is under construction.
The Mexican grill chain is popular for its burritos, bowls and tacos. The store at 2242 S. Limestone St. will be the second in the city for the company, which also operates on Bechtle Avenue.
While Chipotle officials confirmed they are building on the site of the former Hardee’s, they would not share additional details about an expected opening date or other information.
Crews demolished the old Hardee’s in December, and site work picked up significantly in the last two weeks.
Air Mobility Center
They don’t like to call their industry flying cars, but that’s how many people know and understand what is going on around the Springfield airport.
The $9.35 million National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence (NAAMCE) is under construction at Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport, and the steel frame has become visible in recent weeks after the August groundbreaking.
The center will focus on advanced air mobility, including autonomous flight, electrification of flight, and electric vertical take-off and landing system vehicles, called eVTols or flying cars.
Partners with the city of Springfield for the center include Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the Air Force Research Laboratory, NASA, colleges and universities and private industry. The U.S. Department of Defense funded a $6 million grant for the center.
Studies show the industry could generate thousands of jobs and billions in economic impact in the coming two decades.
The center could be operational by the end of 2023.
Ask us:
Springfield News-Sun readers had asked about these three construction projects.
Do you have a question for us? Email sns-local@coxinc.com or email Editor Ben McLaughlin at ben.mclaughlin@coxinc.com