Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue has obtained the funds needed to complete construction on a new station.

The state capital budget, approved April 22, includes $2.75 million for the department. The money will go toward the ongoing construction of Station 53, located at 1164 Race Road, which began last September.

Fire district voters approved a $5 million bond for the project in November 2017, but rising construction costs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic drove the price of the station upward. Acting Fire Chief Jerry Helm said this allocation will make up the difference between the original cost estimate and the actual price of the project.

The funds come through a community project grant that the department applied for. Helm said state Rep. Dave Paul, state Rep. Clyde Shavers and state Sen. Ron Muzzall provided backing and support throughout the grant application process.

“We are very grateful to receive the funding and the new station will meet the needs of the community and its firefighters for years to come,” Helm wrote in an email.

He added that construction is “moving along nicely with framing and site work,” and the department expects work to be completed this October.

The original plan was to expand the former station to accommodate the growth the department has experienced since the building was first constructed in 1992, but district personnel determined it would cost less to build an entirely new station.

The new station will include expanded bays to allow for work on the larger engines and crew quarters in the building.