Holt Fire Commissioner Jim Connors, left, and Ben Townes of Townes + architects, P.A., sign the architectural design contract Sept. 8.

HOLT, Fla., Sept. 10, 2022—Holt Fire District is a step closer to a new fire station.

Thursday, Commissioner Jim Connors signed a contract with Pensacola business owner, Ben Townes, president of Townes + architects, P.A., to develop an architectural design for the new station.

The station will be co-located with Holt Park, property owned by the Fire District. The park will remain toward the back of the lot with the station built next to U.S. Highway 90.

Following contract signing, the commissioners, Chief Scott Chestnut, Capt. Shelly Chestnut and the architects went over what is needed room by room to give Townes + a starting point for the plans.

Timeframe for architectural plans is about 150 days to develop the drawings.

Once plans are in hand, the next step will be for the Fire District to find a contractor to begin the actual building process, which likely won’t occur until late 2023.