MIDWAY (WTXL)--Contractors have been working since 2012 to get the city of Midway's new fire station 2 up and running.
There's still a lot of work left to be done on the exterior and outside of the station. Hoping to have the station built by July first, city manager Auburn Ford says the station is just 80-percent done.
"We still have the acoustic ceilings to go, the flooring to go, the appliances, and the ac units, and all the finished plumbing to go"
Ford says there's still work left to do and it's not cheap.
The total price tag for the new station is $650,000.
There's a federal grant the city got to cover the cost but midway has to first spend from their general fund and then get reimbursed later by the grant.
Documents WTXL obtained from Ford show the city still owes contractors nearly $200,000 including $46,538 dollars to subcontractors and $186,514 dollars to contractors.
Waiting for reimbursement is one point of concern for some residents.
"If the fire station is not up and running, what the issue, I mean where the money went to, are the funds there, did we run out of money," asked Jesse Taylor.
Ford says they came up with an action plan to pay off contractors, but that's depending on when they get reimbursed from the state.
The city has until January 2014 to use the grant, but if don't finish before the expiration date they may not get the money.
"We'd probably lose the money or whatever money is left, which I don't foresee happening," said Ford. Ford says he hopes to have this station fully operational by October.
The city is hosting a 4th of July celebration as a public viewing of the new fire station. The fireworks at the event starts off at 9 pm on the 4th. They will have free food, games, music, fire station tours, and more.
