By KERRY SMITH, ST. LOUIS CONSTRUCTION NEWS AND REVIEW MAGAZINE
Construction is scheduled to complete in April on the Valley Park Fire Protection District Building 2 in Valley Park.
Located adjacent to the district’s existing firehouse overlooking Missouri Route 141 off Crescent Avenue, the new 12,000-square-foot building, built by Keeley Construction Group and designed by JEMA, features a 151-foot-long, continuous-length, standing seam roof installed by project partner IWR North America.
Sage Lehr, operations manager of sheet metal fabrication for IWR, says the beam weighs more than 7,000 pounds. The IWR team utilized specialized rigging to adjust the fabricated beam according to the slope of the roof to allow the metal roof panels to be precisely positioned. A 275-ton crane lifted the massive beam into place.
Andrew Moses, project manager for Keeley Construction Group, said construction of the new firehouse began in Spring 2021. “There’s no typical elevation on this building,” said Moses. “No side of the building is the same. That created challenges as to how we wrapped the building, but it also resulted in a beautiful and long-lasting structure that will serve the Valley Park community for years to come.”
Stone, metal panel siding and tinted glass comprise the building’s façade.
The two-story, $6 million facility features four vehicle bays, a mezzanine with weights and exercise space and living quarters for firefighters.
Valley Park Fire Protection District is located approximately 20 miles southwest of St. Louis, encompasses 10 square miles and protects 17,000 individuals.