On Sunday, Dec. 6, Santa will be at The Wave, 14650 Woodstock Blvd, from noon to 4:30 p.m. Parade entries line up on the south side of Lawson Park at 5:15 p.m., and the lighted parade starts at 6:00. The invitation on the City of Waverly's Santa Express page comes from Waverly Fire/Rescue.
The same crew that hosts Santa also answers Waverly's 911 calls, and none of them are paid. About eight weeks before this year's parade, the City Council hired a contractor to build the department a new station. The contract is capped at $6.5 million, and the building is expected to be done by the end of 2028. That is a large building for a department that runs on volunteers who show up on their own time. Under the holiday lights, the parade is a good look at who those volunteers are.
The crew that drives the sleigh
The city's Fire/Rescue members page says the department had 34 active members as of September 2026 and is "operated by an entirely volunteer squad." In 2025 those volunteers answered 501 service calls and logged 2,280 hours on them. That is more than nine calls a week, every week of the year. The coverage area is the City of Waverly plus nearly 100 square miles of the Waverly Rural Fire District.
Most of those calls aren't fires. At the Oct. 13 council meeting, Council Member Delahoyde's report on recent calls for service included:
- 11 medical calls
- 5 fire safety visits
- 2 EMS standbys
- 1 commercial fire
- 1 vehicle accident
- 1 fire alarm
- 1 special duty at Eek at the Creek
Medical calls led the list, followed by fire safety visits. The department lists fires, medical emergencies, vehicle accidents, rescues and hazardous materials incidents as part of its work. So when the crew runs the Santa Express, it is doing the kind of community work it does all year.
What the council approved on Oct. 13
The station vote was one step in a project the city has been moving forward for more than a year. At its Oct. 13 meeting, the council voted 4-0 to award the Waverly Fire Station Project to Scheele-Kayton Construction for no more than $6,548,000. It then approved several related items the same night.
| Date | Step | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 16, 2025 | Joint City Council and Waverly Suburban Fire District meeting takes up the station's conceptual design | Joint meeting agenda |
| Jan. 27, 2026 | Council passes Ordinance 26-01, authorizing public-safety tax-anticipation bonds of up to $3.15 million for the station, 4-0 | Council minutes |
| March 30 and June 9, 2026 | Planning Commission records list the new station at N 135th and Amberly | Planning Commission records |
| Oct. 13, 2026 | Construction bid awarded to Scheele-Kayton Construction, up to $6,548,000, 4-0 | Council minutes |
| End of 2028 | Expected completion | City Fire/Rescue page |
The city and the Waverly Suburban Fire District are splitting the project costs equally. City Administrator Stephanie Fisher went over that 50/50 arrangement before the vote. The council also approved three related items that night:
- Construction oversight: JEO Consulting Group will handle construction administration for up to $125,000. Fisher said the contract includes biweekly meetings and update reports to the council, and those details will be available to the public.
- Soil removal: An interlocal agreement with Waverly School District 145 covers soil removal. Fisher said soil testing came back favorable for compaction and would save on trucking costs.
- Alerting system: A G2 Fire Station Alerting System from US Digital Designs by Honeywell, for up to $117,284.53, is a cost-shared purchase under the existing agreement with the Suburban Fire District.
Because the oversight contract includes update reports to the council, residents will be able to follow the station's progress through public council materials over the next two years.
Where the new station goes, and what it leaves behind
The new station is planned for N 135th and Amberly, according to Planning Commission minutes from March 30 and June 9, 2026. The current station is at 10530 N 141st Street. At the June 9 meeting, the commission discussed possible future uses for that building.
The idea is older than this council cycle. In November 2022, The Voice News reported on a concept that paired a new fire station with city offices. Today the city's Fire/Rescue page describes the project as the new Waverly Fire/Rescue Station. It says groundbreaking is "anticipated soon" and completion is expected by the end of 2028.
That leaves two more holiday seasons before the new building opens. Until then, the Santa Express crew and every 911 page still run out of 141st Street.
The part of the station a contractor can't build
Scheele-Kayton can pour the foundation and JEO can track the schedule, but the people who staff the building come from Waverly itself. The department's volunteer page lays out how someone joins:
- Attend Monday meetings: Recruits come to the department's meeting every Monday at 7 p.m. at the fire station, 10530 N 141st St.
- Wait six weeks: The department reviews an application after six Mondays. That gives the department time to see that the applicant has taken initiative and wants to keep going.
- Meet the requirements: Applicants must live or work in the Waverly Fire District, though the page says special considerations may be accepted within reason. They must be at least 19 with a valid driver's license, pass a background check and drug test, and attend at least 10% of calls or meetings each year.
- Get trained: The department pays for AHA BLS CPR certification, EMT training and Fire Fighter 1 training, plus required in-house training.
Applications are available at the City Office, 14130 Lancashire St, during regular business hours, or at a Monday meeting. Questions go to Fire Chief Robin Hoffman at 402-786-3055 or [email protected].
The minimum is 10% of calls or meetings, and last year's total was 501 calls. On the department's own numbers, that makes a new volunteer's share of the work concrete. In its own words, on the city's page:
All squad members put in countless hours towards their community.
Where to find the crew before the year is out
Two dates on Waverly's holiday calendar are at The Wave, the athletic facility with a fieldhouse and fitness club on Woodstock Boulevard. Only one of them is a Fire/Rescue event, but both draw a crowd to the same building.
- Thursday, Nov. 26, 8 to 10 a.m.: The Hen Hustle Fun Run is at The Wave, 14650 Woodstock Blvd. The city calendar listing says all proceeds benefit the District 145 Backpack Program.
- Sunday, Dec. 6, noon to 4:30 p.m.: Waverly Fire/Rescue's Santa Express is at The Wave.
- Sunday, Dec. 6, 5:15 p.m.: Parade lineup on the south side of Lawson Park.
- Sunday, Dec. 6, 6:00 p.m.: The lighted parade starts. The route map is on the city's event page.
The city says it will post more about the Santa Express activities, raffle items and donation opportunities as they become available. For anyone thinking about joining the department, the next step doesn't have to wait for December. There is a meeting every Monday at 7 p.m. at 10530 N 141st St, the building the crew will work from until the new station opens at N 135th and Amberly.
A new public building at N 135th and Amberly is the kind of change that can affect the streets around it for years. If you'd like to talk through how the station project or other Waverly plans could affect your street or your next move, Randy Ralston is glad to share what he's seeing on the ground. Let's Connect.
