Burdett fire department plans 2012 construction start

BURDETT—Burdett Fire Chief Jason Kelly is optimistic for a spring 2012 construction start on  the new fire hall.  The department owns 12 acres of land at the edge of the village of Burdett on Route 79 where the planned 16,000 square foot pole-barn type building will be located. With only enough money in the building fund to start the process, the bulk of the estimated $750,000 to $1,000,000 will need to be financed. The goal is to finance one time, not having to return for an additional loan. A detailed process involving many areas of concern and Kelly wants to make sure “All our ducks are in a row.”
Built in 1948, the current two story fire hall no longer adequately houses the fire and rescue equipment owned and used by the department. Other problems, such as large cracks in the cinder block walls, lack of handicap accessibility to the second floor and out of code bathrooms led to the decision to build a new facility. The new one-story building will provide the community with not only the fire house, but a large community room with a full kitchen, offices for the village officials, and a small meeting room.
The 30 members of the Burdett Fire Company provide fire and rescue to 50 square miles of the town of Hector including the village of Burdett, the largest area of the five fire departments serving the town. Tax revenues from the town of Hector and the village of Burdett currently cover most of the monthly expenses and a committee has already been formed to set in place the availability of the community room for large parties such wedding receptions. The hope is the revenue from the use of the community room will help cover the electric and upkeep costs.
The firemen are also volunteering their time to reduce the cost of the project by doing much of the work. Already working on clearing trees from the land, they will be able to do most of the finish plumbing, the floor tile, the ceiling tile, the painting, and lots of other smaller jobs.