Fulshear's fire district held a scheduled Station 5 groundbreaking on Fifth Street

Downtown Fulshear is getting a new fire station. Fort Bend County Emergency Services District No. 4, the taxing district behind the Fulshear-Simonton Fire Department, held a scheduled groundbreaking Tuesday morning for Fulshear Station 5 at the building site, 30610 Fifth Street, according to its posted notice.

The district posted the event on Oct. 9 as a special meeting open to the public, since a quorum of its five-member board may attend. The notice lists the ceremony as the only item, so no votes were planned.

What's being built

The project's filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation describes a two-story station of about 10,600 square feet on roughly 2.5 acres. It has two bays for fire trucks and living quarters for a crew of eight. The filing puts the estimated cost at $7.5 million and lists May 31, 2027, as the completion date. Those figures were entered when the project was registered in 2024, and the district hasn't announced an updated opening date. The state record still calls it "Station no. 2," an older name, but district agendas and minutes now call it Station 5.

The site sits on the same stretch of Fifth Street as the existing Fulshear fire station at 30626 Fifth Street, shown in the photo above.

How the district got here

The board picked a builder on April 21. Ryan Horton of PGAL, the project's architecture firm, walked commissioners through the scoring of the sealed construction proposals and PGAL's recommendation. The board voted unanimously to go with Bass Construction Co., according to the minutes.

On June 3, the board approved the construction contract with Bass. At the same meeting it took up financing. Five lenders bid, and First Financial Bank's offer of a $9 million, 20-year loan at 4.25% was the lowest rate. The board accepted it unanimously. It also hired Multivista for $16,950 to document construction with photos and a webcam.

The minutes show a few hurdles along the way. On June 23 the board reviewed a $266,312.70 invoice from the City of Fulshear for building permits and tap fees. One commissioner said the city had told the district that only City Council could waive tap fees and that the district should send council a waiver request. The board also discussed asking for a council agenda item on Station 5 issues. Later minutes don't say how the fees were settled. On July 21 the board approved $20,000 for PGAL to design a stormwater detention pond for the site, and staff reported that the construction loan had closed.

In August, Fire Chief Doug Boeker told the board the groundbreaking was planned for September. The district's posted notice set the ceremony for Oct. 20, a month later. The district's Oct. 15 agenda listed Station 5 pay applications, a project management report and a materials testing proposal for the site.

Who the district serves

ESD 4 covers the cities of Fulshear, Simonton and Weston Lakes, plus surrounding areas including Cinco Ranch, Tamarron and Jordan Ranch, according to the fire department's website. The district is also working on a fire training facility at its Central Station, 33301 FM 1093. In July the board authorized its engineer, Huitt-Zollars, to seek bids for that site work.

Board agendas and approved minutes are posted on the Fulshear-Simonton Fire Department website. The groundbreaking notice and the state construction filing are public too.