Asbestos Found at Fire Station 29

An asbestos scare and renovations have kept the doors of fire station 29 on Monroe Drive closed throughout the summer, but the station could reopen within the next few weeks, according to City of Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran.

Cochran told members of Neighborhood Planning Unit F on Monday night that work to remove traces of asbestos and renovate parts of the station could take between four to six weeks, but the department is pushing the contractor to work to open the station as quickly as possible.

He estimated the station will open within three to four weeks and final touches on the renovations will continue when the station opens.

The fire station was initially closed for plumbing renovations, but more work was added to the project after floors in the bunkroom tested positive for asbestos in late August.

The department will spend $70,000 to put down new floors in the living room and bunkroom, renovate the bathroom and patch the exterior walls. Contractors will also fix damage caused by a plumbing company early on in the project.

“We have been on top of it every step of the way,” Cochran said. “Of course as fire chief, I want our fire fighters back in station 29… because we realize that the response time is lengthened.”

Stations 11 and 23 are taking the calls for station 29 until the renovations are complete.

Station 29 is located at 2167 Monroe Dr. NE on the north end of the Piedmont Heights neighborhood.