A truly historic table
Ben Godar
When firefighters at Station 11 gather around the dining table, they
will soon be gathering around a piece of the department’s history.
When the old Fire Station 11 was demolished in 1998 and relocated
into the Police and Fire Headquarters, firefighters chiseled out a
department logo that was set into the terrazzo floor. The piece has
been in storage ever since.
“We didn’t know what to do with it,” Capt. Ron Bell said. “Then
[Firefighter Eric Jueden] came up with the idea of embedding it in a
table.”
The department paid about $1,000 for the materials, but Jueden
said the firefighters have donated the labor to get the table made.
He said every firefighter at Station 11 has pitched in on the
project.
The logo, which is about two feet square, has been resealed and
touched up with a coat of gold leafing, Jueden said. It is being set
in an oak table that is 8 feet by 12 feet, which will seat up to 20
firefighters.
When the table is completed, Jueden said it will be an upgrade
over the four purple, plastic-laminate tables that firefighters have
been using.
“I hope it adds a little more pride in the department and in the
station,” he said.
The stone logo will be particularly appropriate because
firefighters have nicknamed Station 11 “The Rock,” Bell said. He and
other firefighters said they hope the table becomes a fixture at the
station for decades to come.
“The guys appreciate all the city does in building these stations
for us, so it’s nice to make them even better in whatever way we
can,” Jueden said.