The Briceville Volunteer Fire Department celebrated its new fire station with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday. The ceremony included local residents and federal, state, and county officials, a press release said.
The path to building the new fire station started years ago, the press release said. In 2019, officials with the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development announced a grant to the Briceville VFD for $80,700 and a loan of $74,200, along with a county match of $30,000 to “make the dream of a new station a reality.”
But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the project hit a number of snags, the press release said. Market disruptions affected bidders; supply chain issues created cost increases and forced reworking of the project; and there was a need to close a funding gap as prices increased.
“It took time to make it all happen, but the project is finally complete, and the new station is well on its way to years of service to the residents of the Briceville community,” the press release said.
“This type of project is the very definition of what Rural Development does on a daily basis across Tennessee,” said Dan Beasley, deputy director of USDA Rural Development in Nashville. “We are very proud to have assisted the community and its people in financing this new fire hall, and we know it will serve Briceville and its residents well for years to come.”
Briceville VFD Chief Jamie Brewster praised the community and gave the USDA and credit specialist Kirk Morris extra thanks “for being with us every step of the way.”
Brewster said the fire department is planning to host a lunchtime open house soon.
Briceville Volunteer Fire Department was founded in 1978. Briceville is a community in northern Anderson County, southwest of Rocky Top (the former Lake City).
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