HALLOWELL — The Hallowell Fire Department has come a long way in the last six months.

Before an anonymous donor came forward, the department was going to be either disbanded or asked to share space in an unbuilt station in Farmingdale. It had a dwindling number of volunteer firefighters and seemed headed for a slow demise.

Now construction is set to begin on the city’s first new fire station in almost 130 years following a groundbreaking ceremony Friday at Stevens Commons. Mayor Mark Walker, the City Council, Fire Chief Jim Owens, several firefighters, Stevens Commons developer Matt Morrill, and other city officials were on hand for the event.

Earlier this week, the City Council and Planning Board approved architect Rosie Curtis’ final design plan, clearing a path to begin working at the Stevens Commons site where the Farwell Building used to stand. That building was demolished using an excavator over two days this week.

“It’s been a wonderful journey working with the city of Hallowell and the firefighters to design what we truly hope will be a fire station for the whole community,” Curtis said at the groundbreaking event. “We’ve designed a beautiful building we hope will become as much a part of this neighborhood as the current fire station is on Second Street.”

The Second Street station will undergo a $215,000 rehabilitation to shore up the foundation and structure before a task force looks at future uses of the historic building, which was built in 1828 and served as the Town Hall and then City Hall before the Fire Department moved there from Water Street in the late 19th century.

Hallowell is one of several central Maine municipalities investing in fire services. Augusta spent more than $4 million on a new station in the city’s northern part and committed an additional $6 million to renovate its main station, which overlooks downtown. Winthrop has started construction of a $1.8 million station, and a new station in East Pittston is nearly complete.

The 5,300-square-foot station in Hallowell will include a chief’s office, a training room, a lounge and sleeping space, several bathrooms, a kitchen and a conference room. The garage will be 64 feet long and 56 feet wide with enough room for three modern firetrucks.

The construction is being funded by an anonymous donor who pledged up to $1 million in March and recently increased the donation to an unspecified amount. The city will not pay anything for construction, and the city hopes the station – being built on a parcel of land Morrill donated to the city – is finished before a major Water Street reconstruction project begins next April.

Since the donation was announced, the Fire Department’s morale has improved, its membership has grown to more than 20 firefighters, the city has approved the purchase of new equipment including air packs, and Owens was named the permanent chief.

“It’s a whole new adventure for the guys who’ve been around, and for the newer guys, it’s exciting too,” Assistant Chief Roy Girard said. “Everybody’s anxious and excited to show that we’re going to up the ante.”

Owens wanted to make sure former Fire Chief Mike Grant was recognized for everything he did to hold the department together through years of uncertainty and years of not knowing if it was going to continue its services to Hallowell. Grant retired after 30 years in January. Owens took over as interim chief shortly afterward and then was appointed the permanent chief this week.

“(Chief Grant) could’ve just said to heck with this thing and walked away,” Owens said. “I give him all the credit for maintaining the department.”

Jason Pafundi can be contacted at 621-5663 or at:

jpafundi@centralmaine.com

Twitter: jasonpafundiKJ

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