PLEASANT GAP -- Pleasant Gap firefighters and emergency workers are asking the community to donate to its campaign to raise $750,000 for a new firehouse.
The number of calls to which the all-volunteer fire company has responded has tripled in the past 10 years, Fire Chief Gary Royer said. And the current firehouse, at 119 E. College Ave., is too small to handle such call volume.
"We're out of room," Royer said. "We have equipment stored in a lot of different places. When we go out to a call, everyone is running around looking for things."
The fire company moved into the building, which used to be a furniture store, in the late 1950s. An addition was built in the 1960s.
Talk about building a new station began about 10 years ago, First Vice President Dennis Weaver said. Fire company officials looked into renovating the old building but decided that new construction would make more sense.
Among the amenities the new building will provide is a living area for emergency medical technicians who are college students, allowing them to reside rent-free while they donate their time to the company, said fire company President Rick Meyers. Most of the company's auxiliary EMTs are Penn State students.
Plans include separate men's and women's bunk rooms, shower facilities and a laundry room, as well as computers with Internet access. Meyers and others at the fire company think that may help Pleasant Gap retain and attract volunteers.
"Right now, we offer bus tokens and food vouchers," Meyers said. "But right now, we don't have the facilities to offer them."
Under the plans given to Spring Township officials, the new emergency-services building will be on the fire company's carnival grounds. Construction is scheduled to begin this year, fire company officials said.
The company decided to time the campaign kickoff to coincide with its annual carnival -- easily its largest and most visible fundraiser. Residents and businesses within Pleasant Gap fire company's service area, which covers parts of Benner and Spring townships, will be receive letters in the mail this week from Spring Township supervisors, detailing the company's needs and how to donate.
"We're hoping people will come through with one-time contributions," said Frank Royer, a Spring Township supervisor and member of the fire company.
He pointed out that Spring Township does not have a fire-service tax and that township supervisors could increase property taxes by three mils -- which would double the tax -- if need be.
But it is not just residents and business owners who will raise the money to build the new structure. The fire company will use proceeds from fundraisers, and both townships will contribute money after the fire company wraps up its campaign.
Distributed by the Associated Press
