CARMEL – Volunteers will return to the town office during the next few weekends to work on the fire station expansion that, once completed, will provide much needed space and backup power during emergencies.

The shell of the 1,600-square-foot expansion is up, the exterior doors and windows are installed and the building is enclosed in house wrap, Fire Chief Joe Pelletier said this week.

“Within another month, we’ll have done all that we can do,” said Pelletier, who noted that more work is needed including putting on the vinyl siding, installing gypsum wallboard and petitioning off the space.

But even with volunteer workers and residents donating some supplies, rising costs and federal grants that failed to materialize will mean that the project will have to go back to Carmel voters for more money this spring.

Last year, residents approved $33,000 for the project, with another $12,500 expected to come from grants through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

But in light of increased competition for the federal funds, Pelletier said, Carmel didn’t get the grants. The funding would have been used to build housing for a generator to supply power when the electricity goes out, as well as to make improvements to the town’s emergency operations center.

The project came with unexpected costs, such as the need to install a handicapped-accessible bathroom, and when combined with higher materials costs in the wake of the hurricanes in the Gulf Coast area, the project is short of funds.

Town Manager Jim Collins said Friday that the town’s budget committee is expected to take up the issue of additional funds as part of its deliberations on Monday.

For Pelletier, the need for the expansion is a no-brainer. As the town grows, so do the demands on public services.

“The town is growing, and this is just part of that,” Pelletier said.

Two small offices serve multiple uses, one for the chief officers of the fire and ambulance service and the other for lieutenants, dispatching and firefighters.

Training sessions with other fire departments are held in a small meeting room that also houses supplies and records aren’t kept in a central location, Pelletier said.

As well as increasing some office space, the addition would bring two oil tanks out of the fire station and into the addition, 120 feet closer to the furnace. The move is expected to save wear and tear on the furnace pumps and save the town money in the long run.

A backup generator, already purchased, would provide power and heat to the fire department during emergencies, allowing the department to be self-sufficient.

Bunk beds could be put in to allow for around-the-clock help to direct the town’s response to the emergencies, he said.

“It’s just going to make it easier for all of us,” Pelletier said.