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MWCD planning safety forces training center, new fire station at Tappan

| February 4, 2025

NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (Feb. 4, 2025) – The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District is in the early stages of planning to construct a regional safety center near Tappan Lake. The project would also include a new fire station in a separate building for the Tappan Lake Volunteer Fire Department.

The buildings are slated for MWCD property along U.S. 250 west of Pleasant Valley Church.

MWCD Public Affairs and Safety Manager Ethan Zucal says this would give the area’s police and fire departments a site for training various exercises.

“Essentially what this center will do is provide different agencies opportunities to do classroom work. For our law enforcement officials, it will give them an indoor firing range, which is hard to find here in our neck of the woods,” said Zucal.

Zucal says another feature being considered is the installation of a helipad for medical flights responding to local emergencies and traffic crashes.

“250 can often times be a treacherous road to traverse,” said Zucal. “When accidents do occur, it often puts a lot of strain on our first responders to get folks safely to where they need to go, so they can receive the care that the need,” Zucal said.

Tappan Lake VFD Chief Ryan Keesey says they were happy the MWCD offered to make this happen.

“It’ll be very helpful because the building will be larger than our existing facility and we’ll be able to place everything inside in a newer, more modern upgraded facility,” Keesey said.

The Tappan Lake VFD announced last year it would be receiving $450,000 for the project from the one-time Strategic Community Investment Fund approved by the Ohio Legislature.

Zucal says the total cost will be known once the final designs are approved. Keesey is hoping his department could be operating out of the new fire station sometime in 2026.

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