The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly approved additional funding for the construction of a third Nikiski fire station at its Tuesday meeting.

The approved ordinance appropriates $1.5 million to be taken from the Nikiski Fire Service Area fund and made available for the project.

“The men and women of the Nikiski Fire Service Area have put a lot of thought, time and effort into this project to build fire station number three in Nikiski,” assembly member Jesse Bjorkman said at Tuesday’s meeting. “They have been through many scenarios working out how this will better serve the people of Nikiski and portions of the fire service area where response times are very slow, sometimes 20 minutes or possibly more.”

In 2003, the Nikiski Fire Service Area spent funds to acquire property and design a new fire station at the corner of Holt Lamplight Road and Escape Route Road. In FY 2019, $3.2 million was appropriated to update design documents, complete construction and purchase the necessary equipment for the new station.

At the Nov. 5 assembly meeting, Mayor Charlie Pierce introduced an ordinance providing another $1 million for the project — bringing the total to $4.2 million.

Third-party cost estimates, however, showed that the request would not be adequate to complete the scope of work, according to the ordinance.

The total requested was amended to $1,519,000 after project bids, which were received Nov. 6, exceeded the project’s cost.

The additional funds brought the total cost of the project from $3.2 million to about $4.7 million.

The station will be slightly smaller than the other two in Nikiski. The building will be just under 7,500 square feet and two stories, and will have room for one fire engine, one ambulance and two other trucks.