PHOTOS: Goochland breaks down on first new fire station in decades
VENN
GOOCHLAND COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Leaders broke ground on Goochland County's first new fire station in decades on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, April 7, Goochland officials came together to break ground on what will become Fire-Rescue Station 8, located in the Sandy Hook area.
Station 8 represents a "major milestone for public safety and emergency services," according to an April 9 press release. Once it's complete, it will be the county's first new fire station in over 60 years.
“This is truly a special moment in our community, a moment that has been 50 years in the making,” said county administrator Jeremy Raley in the release.
Sandy Hook is especially in need of a new fire station, officials said. In early 2023, the Goochland County Department of Fire-Rescue and Emergency Services began running a daytime ambulance out of an existing home to help offset delays caused by the Sandy Hook Road roundabout's construction.
That home became a 24-hour station in February 2025. Its staff has since responded to 1,650 calls for service, "quickly becoming the third busiest ambulance in the county," officials said.
Photos from the April 7 groundbreaking of Station 8. (Photo: Goochland County Government)
Photos from the April 7 groundbreaking of Station 8. (Photo: Goochland County Government)
Photos from the April 7 groundbreaking of Station 8. (Photo: Goochland County Government)
Photos from the April 7 groundbreaking of Station 8. (Photo: Goochland County Government)
Chief Eddie Ferguson with the Goochland County Department of Fire-Rescue and Emergency Services during the April 7 groundbreaking of Station 8. (Photo: Goochland County Government)
Photos from the April 7 groundbreaking of Station 8. (Photo: Goochland County Government)
Photos from the April 7 groundbreaking of Station 8. (Photo: Goochland County Government)
Photos from the April 7 groundbreaking of Station 8. (Photo: Goochland County Government)
Goochland County's county administrator Jeremy Raley during the April 7 groundbreaking of Station 8. (Photo: Goochland County Government)
Photos from the April 7 groundbreaking of Station 8. (Photo: Goochland County Government)
“We are beyond excited to build a station and serve our community here in Sandy Hook," said Goochland Fire Chief Eddie Ferguson in the release. "It has been 64 years since we added a fire-rescue district in the county. Since opening the temporary station in 2023, response times have been shortened and lives and property have been saved."
Neil Spoonhower, who represents District 2 on the Goochland County Board of Supervisors, has been a longtime advocate of building a proper fire station in Sandy Hook.
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“In my role, there will be nothing more significant than this!” Spoonhower said in the release. “When my neighbors’ houses are responded to in four minutes instead of fourteen, you know the difference that is going to make.”
Though the impact this new station will have cannot be understated, Spoonhower emphasized that, across these past several years, Sandy Hook's first responders have been doing incredible work with their limited resources.
"The reality is buildings don’t serve communities, the people in them do," he said. "We’ve got an incredible mix of career staff and volunteers, and the volunteers are a big part of what makes the system work. If you have ever felt the pull to serve, we need you.”
Following these comments, Spoonhower submitted an application to become Station 8's first volunteer firefighter.
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There will be visible activity at the site of Station 8 in the coming weeks. Officials said that updates and milestones will be shared as the project progresses.
