BERTHOUD FIRE MUSEUM ON TRACK TO OPEN IN MAY
Less than a year after breaking ground, the Caretakers of Tradition are eyeing early May to welcome the community to the Berthoud Fire Museum.
“We are getting pretty excited,” said Pete Cowdin, one of the Caretakers.
The Caretakers, a nonprofit group of former Berthoud Fire Protection District firefighters, broke ground on the museum in mid-july, coming as the culmination of years of work to create a permanent home for an 1888 hose cart and 1927 Julius Pearse fire engine the Caretakers previously restored, while also celebrating the past of those who served to protect Berthoud.
Paul Rimsky, another Caretaker, said the team expected at least a year to get the project finished and ready to open. He said that, while there have been some challenges, it feels like a miracle to know they got the project to where it is so quickly.
“It started off gangbusters,” he said.
Over the last roughly eight months, the group and various local companies have designed and built the annex on the north side of Station 1 on Mountain Avenue, on the east side of downtown Berthoud. Cowdin said a big component was the financial support from the community and the many in-kind donations from various local companies giving their time, effort and materials to help get the space ready, from design work to civil engineering and more.
Jerry Ward, one of the Caretakers, said the group has put in about $47,000 from around $51,000 received in donations for the construction of the building, with the rest of the work coming from those in-kind donations. Ward estimated that the in-kind donations of labor and materials would cost between $170,000 and $180,000.
Cowdin said the outpouring of generosity has been “mindblowing.”
“This is a Northern Colorado project,” he said, later adding, “It’s just … incredible.”
Cowdin said the structure itself is completely finished, with the exterior of the building blending into the outside of the already existing Station 1 as if it had been there the whole time. He said additional sidewalk work still needs to be done, adding that they plan to have red concrete poured at the entrance to a large garage door into the building and stamped like brickwork to mirror what the original 1888 station would have looked like.
While the outside has been mostly finished, the inside, where the hose cart and engine will sit, still has work to be done. This includes the “Wall of Flame,” planned for the back wall of the museum, that will hold pictures depicting the history of the department as well as a television with repeating images showing how the BFPD, and firefighting itself, has evolved.
Cowdin said this, along with the hose cart and engine, will show those who visit, particularly local kids, how the profession has changed since the late 1800s.
The caretakers are keeping a few things secret, however, such as a special flooring they are working on that, while he gave no specifics, Cowdin said will provide a real “wow factor.”
For the caretakers, though, being so close to opening is a good feeling. Several agreed it has been great to see the hard work they have put in over the years coming to fruition.
“It’s pretty gratifying,” Ward said.
Cowdin said the group is hoping to hold a grand opening May 11, if everything goes according to plan. More information on the Caretakers, as well as their upcoming fundraiser golf tournament in late May, can be found at caretakersoftradition.org.