MOUNT CARBON — More than two years after a fire destroyed the community firehouse, local firefighters, the mayor and an engineer came together Saturday to announce that construction of the new firehouse will soon begin.
“Hopefully construction will start in the next two weeks. It should take us three to four months to build, depending on if construction goes good or if we have trouble with the weather,” Kyle Nettles, an engineering technician for Miller Brothers Construction Inc., Schuylkill Haven, said at a groundbreaking ceremony just after noon Saturday at 122 Main St.
Miller Brothers designed the building and is the general contractor. Before a crowd of 20, including Mayor Brandon M. Wentz, Nettles and Ed Motley, one of the fire company’s veteran members, put ceremonial shovels in the dirt. Jerry Strokelitus, president of the Mount Carbon Fire Company, handed Nettles the project contract.
“It’s going to be a two-story building,” Steve Walters, a captain with the fire company, said.
“We’re on about 1.3 acres. It’s going to be about 7,500 square feet. It’s going to be split-faced block with partial siding,” Nettles said.
“And there’s going to be a social hall in the basement,” Strokelitus said.
“The social hall is going to be just under 3,000 square feet,” Nettles said.
According to the engineering plans drawn by up Miller Brothers, the building will be called Mount Carbon Fire Company, Fire District 53, Station 2. Once built, its address will be 122 Main St., Strokelitus said.
Mount Carbon Fire Company is paying for the new building with insurance money it acquired from the fire loss, Strokelitus said. However, he would not say much the fire company received in insurance money or how much the new fire station would cost.
“We got enough to pay for this,” Strokelitus said.
McNeil & Co. Speciality Risk Management and Insurance, Courtland, New York, was the insurance company the fire company dealt with, Strokelitus said.
Mount Carbon Fire Company No. 1 was chartered in 1910. On Oct. 24, 2006, it merged with North Manheim Township’s fire company and became the Mount Carbon/North Manheim Township Fire Company No. 1, according to the archives of The Republican-Herald.
Early Oct. 4, 2013, fire destroyed a vacant home at 118 Main St., which was owned by Tracey E. Craig, Coatesville, Chester County. It also destroyed 116 Main St., home of Linda McElvaney, and 120 Main St., the headquarters of Mount Carbon-North Manheim Township Fire Company No. 1 and the Mount Carbon borough council.
The fire company owned 120 Main St., according to the online Schuylkill Parcel Locator.
In May 2014, the borough became the owner of 118 Main St., and in June 2014, the borough became owner of 116 Main St., according to the parcel locator.
It took the fire company two and a half years to make arrangements to build the new fire house, Strokelitus said.
“We started here with the demolishing of our building. Then it took a while for the borough to get a hold of the property owner of the building where the fire started. Then they had to do closing with that so that could get knocked down. They need this property in order to remove those two buildings,” Strokelitus said.
“Then we ran into another situation with the playground. It was our property, but there was a restriction on it with it with the borough that we maintain it as a playground. So we had to remove that restriction. And that took a while,” Strokelitus said.
According to the Mount Carbon Fire Company Facebook page, the fire company signed a contract with Miller Brothers work on the building project in October 2015.
The borough’s former playground once sat at 120 Main St.
Later this year, garage bays attached to the new fire company will occupy that area, Walters said.
In the future, the borough may erect a new playground at 116 and 118 Main St., Strokelitus said.
“We’re thinking that’s where it’s going to go. We don’t know. That’s up to the borough,” Strokelitus said.
“That will probably be brought up at the next council meeting,” Wentz said.
When the fire house was destroyed in October 2013, the fire company was known as Mount Carbon-North Manheim Township Fire Company No. 1.
Now, it’s simply Mount Carbon Fire Company, according to Wentz. A new mayor who was sworn in as mayor on Feb. 9, Wentz was not sure of the history of the matter.
John Matz, county emergency management coordinator, said whatever the case is, it shouldn’t affect coverage.
“We got a letter from North Manheim saying they’re not the official fire company there anymore,” Matz said Saturday.
Chris G. Walters, the chief of Mount Carbon Fire Company, said as of Jan. 1, the North Manheim Township supervisors had discontinued its ties to Mount Carbon’s fire company.
“I don’t know all the details as to why they decide to discontinue that. We are still contracted and still handle a percentage of their fire calls,” Walters said Saturday.
Part of the ground the new fire hall will be built on is in North Manheim Township, Walters said.
“We’ll still cover areas in the township including Seiders Hill along the Gordon Nagle Trail. We work with fire companies from Pottsville and Cressona there. We cover parts of Route 61 and Tumbling Run. While we’re not the township fire company anymore, we still cover areas for them,” Walters said.
The Mount Carbon borough council used to use the former Mount Carbon fire company hall as its meeting room. Wentz was not sure Saturday if the borough council will be holding its meetings at the new fire station. He said the matter needs to be discussed.
Since the October 2013 fire, the council has been renting space to hold its meetings. It’s on the south end of 1108 S. Centre St., owned by Pottsville Building Block Co.