After serving the people of Westport and its surrounding area for 50 years, the Westport Volunteer Fire Department dedicated its new station Saturday.

Chief Jay Maddux explained the department had called its Mulberry Street station its home since its incorporation in 1959. Having expanded the facility a couple of times, he said, the newer and larger trucks showed the community the time had come for a larger station.

The property was sold to the department at a reduced rate a couple years ago, Maddux said. From there, the volunteer firefighters secured a loan from MainSource Bank, guaranteed by USDA Rural Development. The town of Westport, Maddux explained, is not well positioned for grant funding, however the guarantee from Rural Development enabled the department to receive a good rate on the loan. In addition, community support gives the department confidence the loan will be repaid.

JHS Construction and Fuel began construction more than a year ago, and the firefighters relocated about four months ago. Don Louden completed the heating and cooling systems, the Decatur County Community Foundation approved a grant for the department enabling the purchase of a generator, Decatur County REMC funded equipment and Myers Paving, Inc., as well as A&B Concrete played a roll in completing the new facility.

Maddux said the new station is better organized and offers the volunteer force room to expand as needed. The 28-member department covers an 80.4-square-mile area crossing the Decatur and Jennings County line, but it is the members of its Westport community that Maddux credits with the department’s success.

“Without community support, this wouldn’t have been possible,” he said.

The department conducted a fundraising drive with a good response. The township trustees also enabled the project to progress. Having made 303 runs last year and 83 already in 2009, the Westport firefighters stay busy, and the new station will enable them to continue doing the work they do, Maddux said.

The community came out, Saturday, to show its support for the volunteer firefighters, and the town was rewarded with hamburgers, hot dogs, chili, chips, cake and punch. With its new station, the department hopes to continue serving the community long into the future.