From the outside, it’s business as usual at the Banks Fire District offices at the corner of Sunset Avenue and Main Street. But step inside and you’ll notice two things: The smell of fresh paint, and Roger Smith on a ladder.
Smith is a volunteer firefighter, chaplain, and now painter for the district. During a regular Banks Fire District Board of Directors meeting held Wednesday, August 9, the elected board held forth in the training room in Banks, approving accounts payable, discussing Washington County’s new emergency ambulance provider, AMR, and more.
In the hallway, Smith was busy placing tape on the walls and painting.
Banks Fire District Public Information Officer Scott Adams said much of the building’s interior was last painted in the 2010s in the 24-year-old building.
“It just needs a refresh,” he said.
The plan, already underway, is to move through the building methodically, one section at a time.
It’s not the only thing getting a spruce up at the district: Expect new signage, and a new website is “85% done,” according to Banks Fire District Chief Rodney Linz.
This story has been updated to clarify that, while the building is 24 years old, there’s been more recent painting done than that.
Chas Hundley is the editor of the Banks Post and sister news publications the Gales Creek Journal and the Salmonberry Magazine. He grew up in Gales Creek and has a cat.
