WINTHROP — Okanogan County Fire District 6 is in the process of clearing the building site at its property on Horizon Flats Rd, where the new Winthrop fire station will be built. The District is trying to do as much of the site clearing work as possible with volunteer labor in order to save taxpayer funds.

Due to federal and state labor laws restricting unpaid work done for their own employer, the District is not permitting existing employees, including volunteer firefighters, to help with the site clearing.

Currently, the District has one gracious volunteer who has been limbing and collecting the trees that must be removed from the site. But additional volunteers would be welcomed to help the work go faster. If you would like to help and can use a saw or can pick up and stack branches, reach out to District Chief Cody Acord for more information, 509-997-2981.

After the trees are cut and stacked, the District has some volunteers already committed to come in with equipment and stack the logs into decks, and will also remove the stumps if time allows this year.

The Fire District Commissioners are planning on going out to bid for the new station construction in January, 2021. If a favorable bid is received and accepted in February, construction on the new fire station building could begin as soon as early spring.