County towns to dedicate new shared fire station

MAPLETON – Volunteer firefighters from Castle Hill, Chapman and Mapleton will get the chance to show off Sunday when they officially dedicate their new fire station on Pulcifer Street.

Firefighters will hold an open house at the station from 1 to 4 p.m. with a dedication ceremony set for 2 p.m.

“This station is our pride and joy,” said Wayne Kierstead, chairman of the Mapleton Board of Selectmen and a former firefighter, while giving a tour of the new building Wednesday.

The old station was located in the town office building and town garage next door.

Kierstead said that in the old station, the department’s four firetrucks had to be parked side by side and one behind the other, so close “there was only eight inches between the mirrors,” he said, demonstrating the space with his hands.

“The trucks were so close that to change the oil, you had to stand on the side of the cab,” he added.

The new station measures about 80 feet by 60 feet and has four bays. There also is an office for the fire chief, a dispatch room and a meeting-training room that can serve as an emergency shelter.

The station is linked to an emergency generator that automatically comes on if the power goes off to provide heat and lights in the station, Kierstead said.

The new metal station was built at a cost of $310,000. Kierstead said money from each town’s undesignated fund balance or surplus was used so property taxes did not have to be raised to complete the project.