Hope Fire Company building new station in downtown Philipsburg

CENTRE COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — The Hope Fire Company is in the process of building a new fire station that will be bigger and have more updated equipment.

About three years ago the process began for the department to expand and build a new station. The building right behind their current one located along North Front Street became available, however, the building had been reviewed and deemed unsafe for use as a future fire station.

The plan is to complete the demolition, reclaim and finish the ground as a large parking area, and use this area for fundraising and community events until a new fire station can be completed.

“Our building here right now is not up to date for what we need. We run into the problem of not being able to get fire trucks to fit in here. It’s not an adequate space for what we need,” Deputy Chief Tyler Thomas said. “The community’s continuing to grow, the businesses are developing around here, the industry and this new firehouse will ultimately be better to serve the community.”

This project is the first physical step of the planned construction of a new fire station in town. The demolition project is expected to last approximately 2-3 weeks, however, could be extended if unforeseen circumstances arise.

This new fire station will include a much greater door height to ensure that any future fire apparatus fit as well as a larger apparatus room to meet the growing needs of the area, offices, kitchen, lounge and storage space.

“We are looking at building a six or seven bay buildings compared to four bay buildings that we currently have. The talks of a merger in town here are back on the table. So we’re going to build it to the specifications that we’ll need for that for the future,” Thomas said.

The proposed merger is between the Hope Fire Company and Reliance, but Chief Thomas says that it won’t be complete for a few years.

“The merger talks are back on the table. However, it’s looking for a couple of years down the road until we get everything finalized. We’re hoping that it goes through this time and the new building will be large enough to accommodate both us and Reliance of the if the process ever finishes up,” Thomas said.

The demolition is being completed by Earthmovers Unlimited Inc. of Kylertown. For a period of this project, the alley adjacent to the fire station, Firehouse Lane, will be closed, as well as patrial closures of a lane on North Front Street around the demolition site as needed.

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Upon completion of a new fire station, the current fire station, located at 400 North Front Street, will be removed and a paved and landscaped parking area with sidewalks will be established in its place.

Hope Fire Compnay also released a statement on Facebook saying , “Although we understand and respect the history of these buildings in our town, it is our duty to ensure the safety and needs of the public and visitors are met.” The full statement can be found on the company’s Facebook. Questions can be sent to chief11-1@hopefireco.com or by calling and leaving a message at 814-342-4900.

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