Fired Up SR company set to break ground
SLIPPERY ROCK — The Slippery Rock Volunteer Fire Company and Rescue Team is getting ready to begin construction on its new facilities this year.
Ron Steele, the firefighter in charge of the project, said the company hopes to break ground on the first phase of its $3.5 million project in the spring.
“We've got all our contractors lined up,” Steele said.
The facility was designed by Ligo Architects of Slippery Rock and will be built by W.K. Thomas & Associates of Butler. It will be located on 5.5 acres adjacent to the current facility.
Phase one is expected to cost $1.3 million, and will include a 5,300-square-foot building to house ambulances and an access road that will exit on New Castle Street.
Steele said phase one also will include the base for the company's day-to-day operations, as well as sleeping quarters for EMS workers.
Phase two will include an 8,000-square-foot hall to house fire vehicles, which would be accessed from Elm Street. This phase would involve the removal of the current fire building. Phase three includes a 4,375-square-foot meeting hall and extra parking.
Steele said there is no time line for the second and third phases.
The company is working with the state Department of Environmental Protection and Frank B. Taylor Engineering of New Castle because of wetlands on the property. The engineers are working to find a way to avoid infringing on the wetlands as much as possible.
Currently, the company's facility is made up of two buildings on 2 acres at 162 Elm St. This includes the main building, built in 1978, and the bingo hall, built in 1939 and expanded in the 1950s. Steele said these facilities are cramped and out of date.
In November, borough council approved a land development plan for the facility.
Steele said the company is working with First National Bank to get a loan to help pay for the construction. He said that everything but the actual construction has been paid for.
During the past three years, the company has raised $200,000. Fundraisers include its fish fries during Lent, its chicken barbecue during the borough's VillageFest and its annual golf outing.
“The public has been very supportive of fundraising over the last three years,” Steele said.
The company also is taking direct donations.
People who want to donate can make checks payable to the Slippery Rock Volunteer Fire Company and Rescue Team and mail them to P.O. Box 39, Slippery Rock, PA 16057 or P.O. Box 117, Slippery Rock, PA 16057.
The company also plans to draw up a letter to send to municipalities it covers to see if they may consider donating.
The company, formed in 1907, has 25 active members and responds to 1,200 calls per year.
It covers Brady, Cherry, Slippery Rock and Worth townships and the boroughs of Slippery Rock and West Liberty in Butler County, as well as Liberty Township in Mercer County, Plain Grove Township in Lawrence County and a 20-mile stretch of Interstate 79.
