THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 1, 1996 TAG: 9608010531
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Metro Briefs
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 23 lines
City Council has approved the purchase and conversion of Tabernacle Church on Granby Street into a state-of-the-art training center for firefighters.
``It would have cost us as much or more to build a brand new, much smaller facility,'' said Don Haupt, acting director of Fire and Paramedical Services.
The 18,000-square-foot church in the 7100 block of Granby St. is next to a fire-training tower. The purchase price was not announced.
Tabernacle is building a new church two blocks away and will continue to use its existing auditorium for Sunday services until construction is complete. The church will pay rent to the city in the interim.
The converted facility will include five classrooms, an auditorium, equipment storage, and offices. It will more than double the amount of space allocated to fire training at Fire Station 1 in downtown Norfolk.
The department hopes to open the center late this year or in early 1997.
KEYWORDS: NORFOLK FIRE DEPARTMENT TRAINING by CNB