Hempfield is moving forward with its plans to build a new fire station in the western part of the township.
The township supervisors are expected to vote Monday, Jan. 26, on a $507,300 proposal from H.F. Lenz to design and oversee construction of what is being called Station 502.
It will be built at the confluence of Arona, Harry Long and Monkey Wrench roads.
“In a perfect world, we are 24 to 36 months away from a ribbon cutting on that facility,” Township Manager Aaron Siko said.
The new station has been controversial, with Adamsburg firefighters and residents in the area where it will be built expressing concerns about response times and its location.
The township paid $375,000 to buy a 5.3-acre property at the split of Arona and Harry Long roads, not far from Monkey Wrench and Eisaman roads.
The current Adamsburg station is 70 years old and on a dangerous curve on Edna Road, just off Route 30.
The new 7,000-square-foot, four-bay station would be about 2½ miles from Route 30. Officials said the location was beneficial based on geography. Any change in response times compared to the existing Adamsburg station are expected to be nominal, they said.
Siko, the township fire chief and two township supervisors recently met with a committee of Adamsburg firefighters.
“Through that conversation, which I think was positive, ultimately they had indicated to us that they would be serving from that station,” Siko said. “And though they had some initial concerns with that location, certainly their goal is to be the service provider in the western part of the township, and that they would like our support in doing that through the new facility.”
Adamsburg fire company President Ken Wees said volunteer firefighters will continue to serve the community, just like they have always done. The plans for the new fire station are inevitable and Wees said firefighters have gotten their point across about concerns over delayed response times.
“In this whole process, we never wanted to be adversarial,” he said.
Township officials had been searching for more than a year for an appropriate spot to build a new fire station in the western part of Hempfield.
Construction will be funded by $5 million allocated from a 2022 bond. A home and a commercial greenhouse on the land will be demolished.
The intersections at Arona, Harry Long and Monkey Wrench roads will be realigned as part of the project.
Hempfield has been working to bring its community volunteer fire departments under one umbrella, referred to as a “nonchartered” process in which they become absorbed into the Hempfield Fire Department. In return, Hempfield manages the station and pays all of its expenses while volunteer firefighters continue to respond to calls.
So far, Midway-St. Clair and North Hempfield have completed the process. Several other stations are in various stages.
The ongoing transformation of the fire service includes proposed stations that would cover regions of the township, similar to the Station 502 plans and renovations that were made at Station 501, which previously was the base for North Hempfield firefighters. Information provided by Hempfield shows future plans for at least three more regional stations.