LSFD Downtown Chief Otto J. Huber Fire Station

In 2024, Historic Downtown’s Station 63 Chief Otto J Huber fifire house at the intersection of East Loveland Avenue/State Route 48 will be relocated to 220 E. Loveland Ave. At this site, a modern fire station will be constructed. 

“I would like to thank the citizens’ working group who helped evaluate the new location. The station will provide much needed safety upgrades for our firefighters and will help us provide service to the community for decades to come,” said Loveland-Symmes Fire Department Chief Otto Huber. 

The city has assembled a highly capable construction team, including Chief Huber, Assistant City Manager Chris Wojnicz, and LSFD Executive Officer Bruce Hawk. Together, they are committed to ensuring the project is completed on time, within budget, and with minimal disruption to our residents.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the building specs?

The new station will be more than 10,000 square feet. The building will be one story with garage door heights of 14 feet. The station will feature:

• Multiple road entry points (O’Bannon Avenue and East Loveland Avenue)
• More lot space to maneuver equipment
• 2 pull-through apparatus bays
• 1 back-in bay
• Training rooms
• Ample storage for fire and EMS equipment
• Full living quarters
• Office space
• Public restrooms. The building will be one story with garage door heights of 14 feet.

Why build?

Financially, it did not make sense to renovate the existing firehouse. Multiple safety upgrades were needed. For instance, today’s code would require an elevator to be installed — a huge expense for a building lacking other needed modern amenities. The current station has no pull-through bays, and its intersection location poses challenges. 

How will construction be funded?

Typically, government buildings, including fire stations, are not eligible for state or federal grants. However, city staff obtained a unique loan to fund the estimated $5.4-million station. Staff applied for the United States Department of Agriculture’s Community Facility (CF) Loan Program, which provides funding for essential community facilities at competitive rates. The CF Program’s interest rate could be nearly 1.5% less than the rate the city would secure utilizing standard bond financing. 

When this is coupled with the project’s estimated cost, the savings over the life of the loan could be substantial — estimated at more than $1 million. By securing a competitive interest rate, the projected savings will allow LSFD to stretch out fire levies as much as possible.

Project Updates

April 19, 2024
City staff members met with the USDA to review progress on funding. The loan funding was delayed due to the federal budget passage but is now progressing forward. Meanwhile, improvements on O’Bannon Avenue to supply off-street parking for the new fire station are set to begin.

July 26, 2024
City staff continued to move forward with the bidding process for the new station as an approved resolution and ordinance by City Council was provided to the USDA for issuance of bonds. Request for bids will follow in the coming weeks with hopes of being under contract with a general contractor in September.

Aug. 16, 2024
Bid documents were released this week. 

Oct. 28, 2024
A contractor has been selected, and construction is expected to begin in mid-November. 

Nov. 22, 2024
Construction began this week with the installation of perimeter fencing.

Dec. 20, 2024
Test borings are being completed. Permit plans (water tap, underground fire line, etc.) have been approved.

Feb. 7, 2025
Progress continues on construction of the new Fire Station 63. The contractor, Graybach LLC., is working hard to be a good neighbor during construction, working to limit on street parking and general disruption to area residents.

May 2025
Construction continues to move forward steadily and remains on schedule. Over the past few weeks, significant progress has been made as the walls are now going up, giving the community a first glimpse of the station’s structure taking shape. Crews have been working diligently despite varying weather conditions, and the pace of construction reflects careful planning and coordination among contractors and staff. The rising framework represents an important milestone in the project, which is designed to enhance emergency response capabilities and better serve the residents. 

July and August 2025
Framing is underway and trusses and roof decking have begun. Exterior Walls going up (end of August).

September 2025
Exterior framing continues. Completion of the exterior walls and progress on the brick veneer. The City of Loveland announced that our new fire station, currently under construction at 220 E. Loveland Avenue, will be named in honor of longtime Loveland-Symmes Fire Department Chief Otto J. Huber.

October 2025
Interior work: installation of utility lines, while brick veneer installation continued on the exterior. Crews worked on roofing underlayment, interior walls and the building’s brick veneer. The contractor is nearing completion of the installation of the brick veneer on the Otto J. Huber Fire Station. Inside, interior walls, plumbing, electric and HVAC work continues at a steady pace.   Construction continues to progress steadily on the Otto J. Huber Fire Station 63 project. This week, crews have begun work on the interior block wall partitions, which will house various HVAC and other mechanical equipment. Additional progress this week includes: •Installation of plumbing systems •Construction of interior walls •Application of foam insulation

November 2025
Work continues, with drywall being installed inside the building while storm sewer work is completed on the exterior. Continued progress on the interior drywall work along with commencement of on the building’s roofing.

December 2025
Since our last report, the project has continued to advance with significant progress. Drywall and insulation are nearly complete, and priming is underway. Ductwork installation is finished, and overhead plumbing is also nearing completion. On the exterior, 80% of the shingles have been installed, the rear storm detention system has been completed, and the brick veneer on the west side of the building is finished. Despite the weather, the contractor continues to make great progress on the new station. Following the installation of temporary plastic for heat, crews continued block and brick work on the building’s exterior. In addition, ceiling framing in the apparatus bay rooms has been installed, along with ongoing overhead ductwork installation.

January 2026
Recent progress on the Otto J Huber Fire Station 63 project includes exterior upper framing, ongoing interior finishes, and exterior brick and stone work. While brick veneer and utility connections continue on the exterior of the building, interior doors and office space walls are being installed.  The exterior brick veneer is nearing completion along with installation of exterior doors. Also, installation of the LSFD logo and other building identification began. Due to the weather much of the work this last week of January was interior, with drywall and insulation nearly complete. Also, the fire sprinkler system is underway and the plumbers have installed most of the bathroom fixtures.

February 2026
Progress this first week focused on completing exterior brick veneer and installation of the LSFD medallion.