From left, Connoquenessing Volunteer Fire Company Chief Mike Nanna; Deputy Chief Matt McConnell; U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th; and Connoquenessing Township Supervisor Angela Fleeger break ground at the location of a new fire department building off Evans City Road in Connoquenessing Borough, Friday, Aug. 28. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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CONNOQUENESSING — Connoquenessing’s team of volunteer firefighters and their equipment will soon have a new place to call home.
Connoquenessing Volunteer Fire Company held a groundbreaking ceremony for its planned station Friday evening, Aug. 28, at the construction site located at 1212 Evans City Road. The event was attended by company firefighters, local leaders, project partners and members of the community it serves.
The company’s current station was originally constructed in the early 1900s and received an addition in the 1950s, but company leadership agree the facility no longer meets their needs.
Connoquenessing Volunteer Fire Company Deputy Chief Matt McConnell, right, speaks during a groundbreaking ceremony for the fire company's new building off Evans City Road in Connoquenessing Borough, Friday, Aug. 28. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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“I can’t fit a standard fire engine in our current building. Any engine we’d buy would need to be custom made and custom made means it’ll cost more,” company President Matt McConnell said.
The new station will include additional bays to accommodate more emergency vehicles, decontamination areas for firefighters, expanded training space, improved equipment storage, better accommodations for firefighters and more.
The new location also gives the company quick access to both Connoquenessing’s Main Street and Evans City Road.
The new station comes with an over $4 million price tag, but company leadership said it is covered through community fundraising; grants, including $2 million in federal community project funding; and a $750,000 capital campaign by residents and businesses.
Connoquenessing Borough Mayor Deborah Williamson, center, delivers remarks during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Connoquenessing Volunteer Fire Company's new building off Evans City Road in Connoquenessing Borough, Friday, Aug. 28. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Connoquenessing Mayor Deborah Williamson said the project has been a long time coming.
“People have waited for this for decades and they’re so excited to have this facility and be able to take care of the health and safety of residents,” she said.
U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, said the reason behind why the fire company wants the new facility was part of the reason he advocated for it to receive federal funding.
“It’s not so much they wanted a new fire station. They wanted to be able to respond more quickly, more effectively and more efficiently. I said ‘you guys have the right goal,’” he said.
U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, speaks to a gathered audience during a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Connoquenessing Volunteer Fire Company building off Evans City Road in Connoquenessing Borough, Friday, Aug. 28. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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McConnell said the station is meant to support the growing area for decades to come.
“That’s why we’re building it the way we are,” he said. “We’re building it for the people who are here 40, 50, 60 or more years from now.”
He said the station is anticipated to be complete by May or June 2027.
Shovels sit in mounds of dirt ahead of a groundbreaking ceremony for the Connoquenessing Volunteer Fire Company's new building off Evans City Road in Connoquenessing Borough, Friday, Aug. 28. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Connoquenessing Volunteer Fire Company Deputy Chief Matt McConnell, right, prepares to start the groundbreaking ceremony for the fire company's new building off Evans City Road in Connoquenessing Borough, Friday, Aug. 28. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Community members, members of the Connoquenessing Volunteer Fire Company, and U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, prepare to break ground at the location of a new fire department off Evans City Road in Connoquenessing Borough, Friday, Aug. 28. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Community members, members of the Connoquenessing Volunteer Fire Company, and U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, prepare to break ground at the location of a new fire department off Evans City Road in Connoquenessing Borough, Friday, Aug. 28. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Community members attend a groundbreaking ceremony for the Connoquenessing Volunteer Fire Company's new building off Evans City Road in Connoquenessing Borough, Friday, Aug. 28. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, speaks to members of the press after a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Connoquenessing Volunteer Fire Company building off Evans City Road in Connoquenessing Borough, Friday, Aug. 28. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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