Back Firehouse honchos Trinity Hartman Spokesman-Review The new brick fire station about to open in Millwood is one tough building. It was designed to withstand the hurried comings and goings of firefighters and firetrucks. Industrial-strength floors protect the kitchen, and every door is sturdy enough to endure slamming. Two determined women got the station built. Catherine Rider and Kathy O'Hara of Garco Construction have been the honchos behind the $700,000 construction project. Rider put Garco's bid together and managed the project. O'Hara, the project superintendent, oversaw the subcontractors who did everything from plumbing to electrical work. Female construction bosses are as rare as female professional firefighters. Construction work, like firefighting, takes intensity. The bid process is one example. On bid day, Garco's offices looked like the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. People were running in and out as dozens of subcontractors submitted and resubmitted estimates until the last possible moment. Rider had to put them all together to make sure Garco would have the low bid. "It was really scary because I'm playing Monopoly with somebody else's money," Rider said. Rider and O'Hara work well together, laughing and joking their way through a visit to the nearly completed station on Thursday. Keeping 20 subcontractors and suppliers on task takes coordination, patience and occasional nastiness. O'Hara said she's the gruff one who yells when something goes wrong. Rider positions herself as the "good cop." "Kathy is on-site all the time and runs the show. I just back her up," Rider said. They declared the Millwood project a successful partnership. The fire station needs some cleanup and last-minute fixes, but otherwise it's finished. Millwood firefighters plan to start moving furniture and equipment into the new station next week, said Fire Chief Bill Clifford. The fire station was built under the watchful eye of Millwood neighbors. The small Valley town's 1,649 residents voted last year to tax themselves to improve their fire department. A bond and levy allowed Millwood to build the station, buy a new firetruck and hire three full-time firefighters. Millwood decided to hire the full-time firefighters last year after the Spokane Valley Fire District -- which serves the area surrounding Millwood -- decided not to renew an automatic aid and training contract with the town. With the exception of Clifford, Millwood had been an all-volunteer fire department. Clifford said he's enjoyed working with Rider and O'Hara on the building project and is ecstatic about the new station. It's been fun to work on a project in a small town where people take an interest in what's going on, O'Hara said. Millwood firefighter John Nelson walked into the station and started taking pictures for a photo montage. "Hey, John, where's your broom and mop?" O'Hara asked, laughing. Nelson smiled and kept on taking pictures. Back