Tupelo replacing its oldest fire station with new building

TUPELO, Miss. (AP) - A Mississippi city is building a new fire station to replace its oldest one.

Tupelo officials broke ground for the new building Thursday, WTVA-TV reported.

The station that will be retired is 64 years old. The city has already spent money on repairs, but Fire Chief Thomas Walker said building a new station is more cost-effective.

“It was a lot of structural issues,” Walker said. “And it’s not like putting a coat of paint on it was going to fix it.”

The city is using bond money to pay for the new station, and taxes will not increase.