By ROBIN SHANNON

Staff Reporter

GARYVILLE – More than 20 years after completing the first phase of renovations at the Garyville fire station, construction crews this past week put the finishing touches on a $1.2 million expansion that adds a second floor to the historic building.

The new addition, which will receive a certificate of substantial completion from the St. John Council at Thursday’s meeting, gives the fire station an extra 2800-square feet that includes space for meetings, offices, sleeping quarters and a kitchen.

“I’m very excited about the full kitchen,” said Volunteer Fire Chief Faron Duhe. “There hasn’t been a kitchen in this building in 51 years.”

Duhe, who has served as fire chief in Garyville since the early ‘80s, spearheaded the expansion development at the beginning of his term and helped make the push for a .25-percent sales tax increase to help fund projects like this for the fire department.

“Before the sales tax, we didn’t have enough money to do the project ourselves,” said Duhe. “This allowed us to buy new equipment and bring our fire rating down.”

Duhe said the new building was designed with history in mind. He said the front façade, which faces Historic West Street, was modeled to look like the old Garyville bank building.

“We tried our best to keep with the historic feel of ‘downtown Garyville,’” said Duhe.

The building’s inside is anything but historic. The new addition created a large conference room, several offices on both floors and a newly furnished day room for the firefighters with leather chairs and a big TV. Also included is a pair of dormitories where overnight shifts can sleep. Duhe said the sleeping quarters were an important part of the parish’s push to create full time fire protection 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

Duhe said the original bid for the addition came in at about $700,000, but ballooned to $1.2 million following Hurricane Katrina. The fire department had roughly $900,000 on hand to go toward the project and the St. John Council approved an additional $600,000 in 2007. Aegis Construction of LaPlace was awarded the contract to complete the project.

Duhe said the building is named in memory of Duane “Ducie” Crotty, who passed away in 1986. Duhe said Crotty was the man responsible for spearheading the sales tax increase and also helped Garyville secure a new water system. Duhe said plans for a formal dedication are in the works and scheduled for some time in April.