Fire house beyond repair
Plans for new building have been drafted
Cumru Township Fire Department’s main station on Church and Welsh Roads is falling apart. The building, known as Cedar Top Fire Company No.1, is 106 years old and badly in need of repairs.
The municipality has already spent $9,000 for garage doors and $9,000 for a temporary roof, according to Township Manager Jeanne Johnston. In the last six years, the township has spent over $100,000 in making repairs to the building which was originally built as a schoolhouse but became a firehouse in 1957. Patches have been regularly added to the falling roof, which drains poorly, and tends to leak into the station house. Moisture has caused garage doors to rust, creating safety hazards. Part of the foundation of the old schoolhouse has sunk, leaving a visible slant to the roof. Moreover, the fire department’s largest ladder
truck won’t fit in the station’s garage.
“Enough is enough,” said Johnston. “We’re tired of putting band-aids on it. It’s throwing good money after bad.” If the township waits much longer to erect a new fire station, a new roof, costing somewhere between $25,000 and $30,000, will be needed. “Let’s stop this and build a new fire station,” she said.
Currently, plans have been drafted to build a new fire house in the township complex across from the Cedar Top Fire Company station. This centrally located station would best serve the township, Johnston added. The area is densely populated with homes, town homes, apart- ments, and commercial establishments. According to the 2011- 2015 fire services statistics, structure fires in the central part of the township pose the greatest threat to property and lives. More than 60 percent in Cumru Township occurred in the area of Wyomissing and Morgantown roads.
The township has two possible scenarios in mind for the new firehouse: one requires the acquisition of the private property, the other involves land the township already owns. Johnston said she hopes the architect’s master plan for the project can be submitted for the 2017 budget presentation.
In 2010, there were three fire companies in Cumru Township — Gouglersville Fire Company No. 1, Cedar Top Fire Company No. 1, and the Volunteer Fire Company No.1 of Grill. All three companies were consolidated into the Cumru Township Fire Department. The fire department has 38 volunteer members, three full-time staff, and two part-time career members divided among the three houses.