Local EMS workers may be only a few weeks away from having a new base of operations here in Dowagiac.

Construction on the new $150,000 ambulance facility on Enterprise Drive is entering its final stages, with crews with Fryman Construction working on pouring the cement flooring this week. Employees are also finishing up the exterior siding and the plumbing inside the building over the next several days.

“They’re getting very close,” said City Manager Kevin Anderson. “Over the next week and half to two weeks, they should have it ready to be moved in.”

Builders with Fryman have been working at a steady pace on the construction of the structure over the last several months. Even in the face of several blizzards and other adverse weather conditions, the project remains on track to be finished no later than April 1, with members of Pride Care Ambulance expected to move in on or before that date, Anderson said.

The building of the new ambulance hangar has been a priority for the city since early winter, when the city council approved of construction of new facility, which is located just outside the industrial park on Pokagon Street. The city will lease the building to Pride Care, which currently uses a former bank on Prairie Ronde Street to house its emergency service vehicles in the city.

“We’re really excited about the new building,” said Marie Eisbrenner, COO of Pride Care.

The new Enterprise Drive hangar will offer a number of significant advantages over its predecessor. Besides providing a larger break area for EMS workers, the four-door garage also keeps the vehicles out of the elements. It also provides an additional bay for housing units that normally operate outside the Cass County system.

“Having the additional area to put another ambulance as a backup resource will be a benefit, especially when it’s busy and there’s weather conditions like we’ve seen lately,” Eisbrenner said.

City hall shares a similar enthusiasm about the prospects of the new building.

“This should be a good facility for them to use,” Anderson said. “They can house their vehicles inside and out of the cold, so they’ll be able to get more life out of them. It’s a good location for them to respond to emergencies throughout the area. We’re pleased on a lot of fronts with this one.”