Fire Station No. 9, at 122 Rock Quarry Road in Stockbridge, has officially opened its doors.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 18 marked the occasion.

The new facility is 9,396 square feet and includes sleeping quarters, a common living area outfitted with plush recliners, a fitness room, a kitchen, office space for staff and three bays.

Formerly, the fire station was at 132 Berry St., in a 30-year old metal building.

The move to the new facility, according to Fire Chief Bill Lacy in a press release, was merely a space issue for the growth the department was experiencing.

Fire Station No. 9’s budget was $1.8 million, a number that Reid Bowman, Sr., District 4 commissioner, said was made possible by the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.

“This is your 1 percent in action,” he said. “It has helped us in a number of places. I think if you look at the old station in Stockbridge […] this is state-of-the-art. As far as I am concerned, probably one of the finest, if not the finest, fire stations in the entire county.”

Bowman said there was a list of the projects the commissioners reviewed and Fire Station No. 9 was on that list.

“I’m extremely proud of the way it’s turned out, and I’m so proud of my staff for doing the job that they have done,” Bowman said.

Stockbridge Mayor Lee Stuart agreed with Bowman’s sentiments.

“It shows that the citizens and volunteers are working together and the county and city are coming together,” he said. “For [the firefighters] to be able to have this facility right here is a step in the right direction.”