Lubbock's former Health Department building is fast becoming a former building. Contractors were on site Monday morning beginning the demolition of the structure at 19th Street and Texas Avenue.
Once it's completely torn down and the debris is cleared away, the site will likely stay vacant for a while. Mayor Glen Robertson said he'd like to see the city put the location to use in a new way.
"Fire Department 1 is our oldest fire department in town," Robertson said. "It's too small, it won't even house the fire engine that belongs there. With that fire station doing downtown, and we have the high rise buildings in downtown, we have to have the large ladder truck. We can't even park the ladder truck in that fire station. So, it's my hope that that will be the future site for Fire Station 1."
Mayor Robertson said he expects the city to have a bond issue around May 2014, and he anticipates the fire station will be on it. If it doesn't pass, the city will also have the option of selling the property.
