A LITTLE HELP
Fire company asks borough to fund part of renovation cost
NORTH WALES » Borough officials have gotten their first look at the latest plans — and price tag — to upgrade the North Penn Volunteer Fire Company’s firehouse.
Fire company officials unveiled those plans to council and the public Tuesday night, along with a request for the town to contribute tax dollars.
“We are asking if the borough of North Wales, and borough council, can assist us in this endeavor to make this beautiful building even better,” said fire company President Frank Baxter.
“We are asking if you could possibly help with the matching grant, of between 10 and 15 percent,” he said.
In late December 2020 state lawmakers announced the fire company had received $1 million in state grant money to go to improvements of their station on the 100 block of Main Street. That station has seen a series of upgrades since early 2017, as the fire company renovated and expanded their current firehouse at 141 S. Main Street, added a clock tower partially funded by the borough, and expanded station engine bays to accommodate a new ladder truck delivered in May 2018. In February 2020 the company first presented plans to reconfigure the façade of 137 S. Main to add a radio operator bay, and Baxter and fire Chief Matt Traynor filled in council on the latest plans on Tuesday night.
“On Dec. 23, we were awarded
a $1 million matching grant. What does that mean? A $1 million matching grant means the state of Pennsylvania is going to put up $1 million for our project. We, at the end of the day, have to match that $1 million,” Baxter said.
As he spoke, Baxter showed council a rendering of the street view of 137 and 141 after the proposed renovation, with the front of the former mill building at the left extended toward the street, with a new brick-clad radio room meant to match the style of the station next door. The new entrance would meet current accessibility requirements, allow emergency responders fast entry and exit and better line-of-sight in emergencies, and add space for a firefighter lounge toward the rear of the building where the radio room is now.
“Tonight, I’m at the firehouse from 6 to 11 p.m., and covering any type of calls that come in. Right now, we don’t have any means for someone to cook their dinner, or something like that,” Baxter said.
“A lounge to relax, cook a meal, or even to study: that’s one of the big things we’re pushing for. If someone’s able to work from home, we’d like them to work from the firehouse instead, if we give them the connectivity resources,” he said.
The fire company has several members who are college students currently doing various forms of remote learning, which could be done from the new lounge, and Traynor said having more manpower on site should cut the company’s response times.
The upgrade project would also add modern sprinkler systems throughout both buildings, and add a training area on the third floor of the mill building, which Traynor said he expects would see heavy use.
“Just in 2020, we had 55 of our members participate in training through weekly drills, fire academy classes, and get new certifications, and they spent over 3,000 hours just for training,” he said.
Of the needed $1 million match, Baxter told council, Lower Gwynedd Township has indicated a willingness to contribute 40 percent, since that township is also covered by the fire company. The company itself can also apply land value to 40 to 45 percent of the grant, according to Baxter, leaving a dollar figure of $100,000 to $150,000 the fire company is requesting from the borough.
“That’s certainly something I think council will need to discuss,” said council President Jim Sando.
Councilman Mark Tarlecki asked if the latest plans include a display area for “Bertha”, a 1920s-vintage fire engine owned by the company. Baxter answered that an earlier version of the expansion did include that space, but at an estimated price tag of $2.4 million.
“We are trying really hard to get that done, but right now there are no funds to do that. So ... it’s on the back burner,” Baxter said.
Councilwoman Wendy McClure asked for more details on the kitchen, and Baxter said it would not be commercial size, but likely feature three to four burners and a microwave for those on long shifts to prepare food.
Sando said he had seen earlier plans call for a backup generator to be added at a cost around $30,000 to $40,000, and asked if that would be covered by the grant. Baxter said that generator is still in the latest plans, and the company is “trying to work out another way” to cover that cost, perhaps via local donations. Borough Manager Christine Hart asked if the company had considered asking area businesses to cover those donations, and Baxter said he and the company would look into options.