SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — San Marcos city leaders gathered Friday afternoon to kick off construction on a new fire station.

A groundbreaking was held at La Cima neighborhood in northwest San Marcos for the new Fire Station #2 which is a replacement for one the department started using in the 1950s.

The original Fire Station #2 is an old duplex where the fire engine can’t even fit in the bay, unless it’s filled with water to bring down the suspension.

The new fire station will house twice as many firefighters and construction should take 10 to 12 months.

The city is also preparing to build its sixth fire station using bond money in southwest San Marcos just off Interstate Highway 35 and Posey Road near the outlets. Construction on that station is set to begin in 2021.