The Gloucester Board of Supervisors recently has been discussing funding a number of projects through long-range debt servicing, including a $1 million remodel of Abingdon Volunteer Fire and Rescue Station 3 for the creation of a new bunkhouse.

AVFR Chief Brad Burgess said the current bunks for the overnight crews are too small for the station’s needs and pose a health and safety risk to those staying there.

The current bunkhouses for AVFR have two cramped rooms of four beds each; one room for men and the other for women. Each room includes a bathroom with showers. Burgess said the current rooms lack any partitions between the beds and have been that way for years. He said the style of the bunkhouse has been in its current configuration since the station was built.

Station 3, located at 2676 Hayes Road, is the only AVFR station to have crews on duty at all times. He said in the past there used to only be one two-person crew at the station, but over the years this has increase...