By Cutter Love Deputy Community Development Director City of West Wendover

In a moment nearly two decades in the making, the City of West Wendover proudly dedicated its brand new West Wendover Fire Station #13 on Thursday, May 1, 2025. The dedication ceremony took place at the new facility, drawing a large crowd that included community members, city officials, and representatives from local, state, federal, and corporate organizations.

The event featured opening remarks from City Manager/Community Development Director Chris Melville, who praised the long-awaited project as a testament to the city's resilience, vision, and collaboration. In attendance at the ceremony were Federal and State of Nevada officials, including officials from the USDA Rural Development, Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development, Senator Jackie Rosen’s Office, the State of Nevada Infrastructure Bank, and numerous city consultants and staff.

“Thanks to the efforts of our team; the city, Core Construction and TSK Architects, we actually will come in under budget by a few hundred thousand dollars and get more bang for the taxpayer’s buck.” Said Melville adding “The completed project provides us a facility for not just today, but for long into the future.

Located next to West Wendover City Hall at 1113 N. Gene L. Jones Way, the new West Wendover Fire Station #13 represents a transformative $13.6 million investment in the city’s public safety infrastructure. The total project cost includes land acquisition, engineering, architectural design, and construction, with the construction phase alone accounting for nearly $12 million.

Thanks to strong collaboration between the City of West Wendover, general contractor CORE Construction, and TSK Architects, the project came in under budget delivering greater value for taxpayers. Additionally, the fire station was completed approximately one month ahead of schedule.

Designed with the future in mind, West Wendover Fire Station #13 is equipped to meet the city’s growing demands for emergency response services. The facility includes five large format apparatus bays, decontamination room, laundry and restroom facilities, storage and shop space, as well as administrative offices. It also houses a kitchen, training area, day room, and conference space. Significantly, the station features five dormitory units with adjoining restroom and shower facilities, laying the groundwork for the city’s planned transition to a full-time, 24/7 fire service in the future.

During the dedication ceremony, city officials and project partners celebrated the milestone with remarks from Mayor Jasie Holm, City Council Members Nick Flores, Johnny Gorum, John Hanson, Gabi Soriano, and Robert Trujillo, as well as Fire Chief Jeff Knudtson. Key contributors from the construction and design teams, including Travis Coombs, VP of Northern Nevada Operations for CORE Construction and Chris Lujan, Senior Designer at TSK Architects.

Representatives from major funding partners were in attendance and provided their remarks on the successful collaboration with the city and to share in the celebration, including Alida Ceballos Nevada State Director for USDA Rural Development, Jessica Sanders from the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development/CDBG, and Nevada State Treasurer Zach Conine, representing the State of Nevada Infrastructure Bank.

The project was funded through a combination of resources, including:

USDA Rural Development: $9,106,800 loan/grant combination

Nevada GOED/CDBG Program: $500,000 grant

Nevada State Infrastructure Bank: $1,750,000 loan

City of West Wendover: $2,325,268 contribution

This brings the total investment to approximately $13.6 million. With final expenses coming in under budget and the project wrapping up ahead of schedule, the city has delivered a highly efficient, high impact civic project that serves current and future needs.

After closing remarks, Beth Morrissey from Senator Jacky Rosen’s Office presented Mayor Jasie Holm with a Congressional Certificate commemorating the completion of the project.

Following the ceremony, the city hosted an open house, welcoming everyone to explore the new facility and celebrate a project made possible through years of persistence, planning, and community support.

While the original fire station still stands on Wendover Boulevard, just across from Burger King, it now serves only as a reminder of the past. The future of emergency services in West Wendover has a new modern home, resilient, and built for the decades to come.

Pictured from Left:   Alida Ceballos Nevada State Director USDA Rural Development; Zach Conine Nevada State Treasurer; City Council Members John Hanson, Johnny Gorum, Nick Flores; City Manager Chris Melville; Mayor Jasie Holm; Council Members Robert Trujillo and Gabi Soriano; Travis Coombs VP Core Construction; Chris Lujan Senior Designer TSK Architects; Fire Chief Jeff Knudtson.