SPENCER — When the existing fire station in town was built in 2002, it was constructed for a fully volunteer department, without much planning for the future.

But Spencer is no longer the small, residential community it was, and these days, as the town grows, the leadership is looking ahead and moving the department from volunteer to paid full- and part-time staff. And to make those jobs appealing, the town needs to make sure the tools for the job are competitive, and that includes having a work space that is up to par.

Right now, any staff that has an overnight shift and stays at the station is sleeping in a converted training room and even a bit of closet space. There is a kitchen of sorts, but nowhere to actually sit down and eat.

“A lot of problems are solved around the kitchen table at a fire house,” said Fire Chief Michael Lanning.

There are potential plans in place following a needs assessment, putting the process in the beginning stages. But the town council did just approve a process that could expedite the project, and Lanning has said it is his hope that construction could start within a year’s time.

“We have just approved the town’s use of the design/build process,” Mayor Jonathan Williams explained. In the past, a town would have to select an architect or design firm according to their qualifications. Then, once the design was completed, the town would have to put out a bid for the actual construction. But the Mini Brooks Act, adopted by the N.C. legislature, says that the project cannot be bid on, and price can neither be solicited or submitted. Instead, the one consideration must be qualifications for the project, and it is a design/build package. No plans are submitted for the actual project itself, but plans from prior work can be considered.

Which means there is no longer the risk of disconnect between design and implementation. The process is typically smoother and faster.

The addition to the fire station will include proper living quarters, training space that could also be used for public education, and even a decontamination space.

“I know that may seem a bit step, but it’s intended to be preventative,” said Williams. “It’s a lot less expensive than addressing future health problems or other issues down the road if we don’t have it.”

Lanning said he sometimes feels like he’s dreaming because the town has been “so refreshing” to have such strong support.

“I have not once, in the two-and-a-half years I’ve been chief, have I ever had to doubt that the town’s staff or leadership is behind us,” he said. “When I took over, we were years behind. After six months in the job, I wrote out a five-year plan and just shy of three years in, two of my top three goals have been realized and the third is now coming to fruition. the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders, knowing that the men and women who work under me will have all the things they need.”

While the budget is not formally set, the project is estimated at about $10 million, but that is a reduction of between $3 and $4 million from the initial proposal.

“I know it sounds like a big number, and it is, but for what we are getting and in comparison with other departments, it’s not really as much as it might seem,” said Lanning. “What I really wish the community could see is that getting these improvements comes back to them, and that’s the bottom line.” Residents and businesses in Spencer reap the benefits of a fully-staffed, well-trained and well-equipped department. Retention is better, and it becomes a front-line job instead of a second income.

Lanning and Police Chief Michael File hold monthly Coffee with the Chiefs meetings the second Tuesday of each month at Bojangles on N. Salisbury Avenue, and Lanning invited anyone with questions, thoughts, or ideas to join him at the next one, July 11, to talk about the expansion of the department “or anything else they want to discuss.”