The formal ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Warrenton Fire Station No. 2 was held Tuesday night. The 12,000-square-foot facility, with a price tag of roughly $2 million, officially became operational with the ceremony as four fire trucks were moved into the station. "This day represents one of the most significant steps forward in the history of the Warrenton Fire Protection District," said Fire Chief Mike Owenby at the ribbon cutting. "We are extremely proud of this facility and with good reason. "This facility was built to last a lifetime," he added. The new station's concept began after the 4.5-acre tract of land was purchased in 2003. From there an architect drew up the plans for the facility and ground was broken in September of 2007. "We visited a lot of other fire stations around the area to get an idea of the features we wanted to include in this building," said Gary Hensiek, chairman of the station building committee. "Even with all that planning, I think this facility turned out even better than we had hoped," he added. "Planning for the future is a big part of what we do here," observed Owenby. Fire Station No. 2 provides several firsts for the Warrenton district. It gives the department a facility with its first full-living quarters, the four-bay station contains new higher doors which will house some of the district's best equipment, including the new ladder truck, and it is a state-of-the-art facility complete with a large meeting room with a smart board and full computer capability. The meeting room will also double as a county emergency response center in the event of a disaster. "We have a generator large enough to run the entire building," said Owenby. "We're totally self-sufficient in any emergency at this location." Although the new station will not be manned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at this point, it does offer the department the ability to provide sleeping and bathroom facilities for volunteers who work overnight shifts. Officials said volunteers will start manning the station overnight from Sunday through Thursday nights in the near future. "This station's full potential won't be realized immediately," Owenby said. "But when the day comes when we can hire more full-time staff, we'll certainly be ready." "This building will meet our needs for a long, long time," said Steve Reese, president of the Warrenton Fire Protection District board. "This is a benchmark day for our fire district." The new station, located on S. Highway 47 at the intersection of Woodbridge Road at the edge of the Warrenton city limits, will take the place of the former fire station No. 2 at the intersection of Highway 47 and Lakeview St. That facility, a converted gas station, has been in service since 1967 and the district "has clearly outgrown the building," according to Owenby. The old station will remain the property of the fire district. It will be used to store maintenance equipment. Owenby said as important as the new building is to the department, the design and location of the facility were also vital considerations. The brick front and roofline blend in well with the neighboring subdivision of Woodbridge, he said. Other, less obvious, features include exterior lights which are designed to produce less glare than conventional lighting. "We spent a lot of time looking at this building and how it would interact within this neighborhood," Owenby explained. "We wanted to be good neighbors, to create a building which was aesthetically pleasing."