HUNTINGTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – The City of Huntington has announced a public groundbreaking ceremony to be held at the future site of the Mayor Joseph L. Williams Jr. Fire Station.
The site, located at the northwest corner of 9th Avenue and 20th Street, will serve as the venue for the 9:30am ceremony, which is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, June 15.
Plans for the new station began several years ago, with the City of Huntington purchasing the land, completing environmental testing, and assembling the necessary $4.9 million in funding for its construction, which is expected to get underway later this month. It is estimated for the station’s construction to take 12 to 16 months.
The new station – which will enhance response times, provide greater safety protections for firefighters, expedite response times, and provide a training classroom area – will replace the University Fire Station at 6th Avenue and 20th Street.
Huntington Fire Chief Greg Fuller recently spoke at a May 23 meeting of the City of Huntington Public Safety Committee on a resolution proposing the new station bear the name of Mayor Joseph L. Williams Jr. Fire Station.
The resolution was passed by the committee, with committee chair Bob Bailey referring to Williams as “a fine gentleman.” Further coverage of the May 23 meeting of the Huntington Public Safety Committee can be found here.
A lifelong resident of the Fairfield neighborhood in which the station is planned to be constructed, Joseph L. Williams Jr. served on the Huntington City Council from 1981 to 1985 and was appointed to serve as mayor by his fellow council members in 1984 – 1985 when the City of Huntington operated under a council-manager form of government.
Williams currently serves as chairman and CEO of Basic Supply Company Inc., a company he founded in 1977. He also serves on the board of directors for Energy Services of America Corp, and co-founded First Sentry Bank in Huntington in 1996.
Williams was chairman, president, and CEO of Consolidated Bank & Trust Co. in Richmond, Virginia from 2007 until 2009 when it merged with Premier Financial Bancorp Inc. He also co-founded Unlimited Future Inc., a nonprofit, microenterprise development center and business incubator located in Huntington on 8th Avenue.
“Joe Williams is a visionary who has sought to create a prosperous environment for our city for more than 40 years,” said Mayor Steve Williams. “He also has taught us that persistence and determination can lift the economic fortunes of a community. His life in public service and during his professional career has been dedicated to the Fairfield neighborhood and the people in it.”
More information on events and developments in the city can be found at the City of Huntington website here.
