AMED is planning to build a new ambulance station near Claysburg, in cooperation with Greenfield Township, to radically cut down the time it takes to respond to emergencies in the rapidly growing Claysburg area.

Currently, it takes about 18 minutes for ambulances at AMED’s station in Roaring Spring to respond to the Claysburg area, but when the new station is built on a lot along old Route 220 at Park Road, it will take about five minutes, according to AMED Executive Director Gary Watters.

Recent or proposed development in the area includes expansion connected with the Sheetz Distribution Center and that company’s renovation of a historic mansion and barn in the area; construction of a trucking logistics and maintenance complex; and a solar development project, according to Watters, a prior Mirror story and online sources.

The township will donate the lot for the project, while AMED will pay for construction of the station.

Altoona Blair County Development Corp. gave the lot to the township many years ago, according to Watters.

AMED’s board authorized the hiring of a firm to do preliminary engineering for the project.

That work will include identifying the area of the lot that is not in a flood plain and is thus suitable for construction, Watters said.

There is no estimate yet for the cost of station construction, Watters said.

The money to pay for the project is likely to come from AMED’s general fund, although the organization may reach out to local lawmakers for grant money, citing the major reduction in response time that will be the payoff for the project, Watters said.

If there are no obstacles, the station may be online in about a year, Watters estimated.

It’s possible that AMED may need to add to its payroll to staff the proposed new station, Watters said.

AMED has been providing ambulance services to Greenfield Township since 2008, after the bankruptcy of an ambulance company created by a merger of the Claysburg and Roaring Spring ambulance companies, Watters said.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-381-3152.