Newbury Fire Department Plans Expansion and Changes

August 13, 2020 by Diane Ryder

Editor’s Note: A correction was made to the original version published in the Aug. 13, 2020, Maple Leaf newspaper to reflect the Newbury Township Volunteer Fire Department has answered 345 calls year to date in 2020, not 345 per year. 

The Newbury Township Volunteer Fire Department — one of the last all-volunteer departments in the area — is planning to convert to part time and expand its current station to accommodate 24/7 coverage in the near future, Fire Chief Ken Fagan said Aug. 5.

“We have a committee that has been meeting since last year,” the chief explained at last Wednesday’s Newbury Township Trustees meeting. “We’ve been hashing out ideas for an addition — where it will be and what we’d like to see — all geared toward our ultimate goal of staffing. Currently, we are all  volunteer.”

Fagan said the committee is recommending adding a 60-foot-by-77-foot, two-story, 9,200-square-foot section to the east side of the current building in an area now used as a parking lot.

“We think that would be the best layout,” Fagan said, adding it would blend in with the building’s current design and roofline.

The current fire station, constructed in 1990, has 11,700 square feet. The department answers about 345 calls year to date, covering a 25-square-mile area that has about 6,000 residents, with 12 volunteers answering the calls, according to the department’s website.

“We’ve been hashing out what type of rooms we’ll need,” Fagan told trustees. “We are looking at two floor plans, both of which will have an office, bathrooms, dorms and locker rooms. We’ve also tossed around an idea for a basement, which we would use for storage. We always need more storage.”

The chief added the committee has developed a tentative plan on their own to save some architectural and planning fees. Once the plan is completed, the department will hire a project manager and architect.

Fagan said he would like to hire Project Manager Jim Dixon, who worked on several projects for Auburn Township, including Adam Hall, their fire station addition and their service garage. Dixon is currently working on construction of a pavilion for Auburn Township Park.

“He did an excellent job on those projects,” Trustee Bill Skomrock said.

Fagan said his department has saved enough funds to hire an architect and recommended Larsen and Associates, who designed several projects for Auburn.

Fagan said he has no idea what the addition will cost, but his research has shown the construction cost could be $250 to $400 per square foot.

“We would need a bond issue or levy. We don’t know which,” Fagan said.

Trustee Glen Quigley said trustees will consult with their legal counsel about the need to solicit bids for any architectural services. Skomrock pointed out the building is owned by the township.

“These are exciting times for the township,” Skomrock said, referring to trustees’ current efforts to obtain the former school property for community use.

“This will all be a lot of work,” Skomrock said. “But it will be worth it.”