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| Oneida Opens New Oneida-Wataga Fire Station |
The fire department for Oneida and Wataga now officially has a brand new fire station that some say was years in the making.
The ribbon was cut on the new fire station Saturday as part of Oneida's Homecoming celebration, which wraps up Sunday.
Pat Hennenfent headed the committee that organized the ribbon-cutting, and says the new station is important for both communities, not just Oneida, for one important reason.
"It's really been good this past year to see how everybody has come together," Hennenfent said. "It used to be when you had an event in Wataga, only the Wataga people showed up. It doesn't happen anymore. We had our [fundraising] breakfast down there, and we had a full crew. [Friday night] we were here [in Oneida] for our cookout, and I counted 26 out of our 31 fire personnel were here.... That's tremendous."
A community center of sorts is inside the new fire station. It was dedicated Saturday to longtime fire department board member Sam McKie, who is resigning from the board after decades of service.
State Representative Don Moffitt and State Senator Darrin LaHood were among the dignitaries who spoke at the ribbon-cutting.
(An outside look of the new Oneida Fire Station.)
(State Rep. Don Moffitt talks with Oneida-Wataga's Pat Hennenfent Saturday, while State Sen. Darrin LaHood waits for the ribbon-cutting ceremony to start.)
(Oneida-Wataga Fire Department Board member Lynn Bowman announces that the fire station's community center will be named after Sam McKie, right.)
(Dignitaries cut the ribbon on the new Oneida Fire Station. WGIL News Story and Photos by Will Stevenson.) |
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| 07 17 11 by Newsroom |
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