The Town of Elizabethtown is pleased to announce that it has received a $2,518,950 grant from the NC Golden Leaf Foundation for the renovation of an existing building located at 300 East Broad Street. The building will eventually house the Elizabethtown Rescue Squad and the Elizabethtown Fire Department. The joint use facility will allow the two organizations to collaboratively provide a higher level of protection and emergency response to the citizens and visitors of Elizabethtown and surrounding areas.
Funding for this project is made available through Golden Leaf’s Hurricane Matthew Disaster Relief Program. The existing Elizabethtown Rescue Squad building was destroyed by flood waters during the hurricane. All equipment and personnel had to be temporarily relocated after the storm to the Elizabethtown Fire Department. Efforts to find a long term replacement facility for the rescue squad organization have proven to be difficult because of the specific facility needs of the rescue squad. Furthermore, the existing fire department building is not large enough to house the equipment, volunteers, and paid staff members of the two organizations.
The new Rescue Squad and Fire Station building will be located on property that is being acquired by the Town of Elizabethtown from Mr. Eugene Anderson. Formerly the location of Jessup Motors, Mr. Anderson purchased the property in 2007. Since the site is located in the downtown commercial area, it is a high priority property for the town. According to Mayor Sylvia Campbell, “the building is a logical fit for the rescue squad and fire department. When completed, the facility will greatly complement the streetscape projects that the town has completed in recent years and will be a true asset for our community.”
Mr. Eugene Anderson is selling the property to the town at less than fair market value. The purchase of the property is scheduled for early September. “I really enjoy seeing new life breathed into old things said Eugene Anderson. And since I’m in the healthcare business, it’s an extra bonus that the purpose of the newly renovated building will be to provide safety and protection to Elizabethtown citizens. I enjoy giving back to the community where I live and this project will be a nice enhancement to our town. I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Fire Chief Nick West stated, “The Elizabethtown Fire Department is committed to ensuring that the mission of the Fire Department is achieved through an extensive strategic planning process that looks well into the future. As part of that process, one of the major planning goals identified was to look at alternative ways to provide a more efficient, higher level of service to our community and citizens for years to come. The addition of this new Fire and Rescue facility, along with partnering with the Elizabethtown Rescue Squad will help us achieve the goal of increasing our preparedness and community focus.
Over the years as our community’s fire and rescue needs have changed, we began to conduct a risk analysis process to see how we could improve response times to fire and medical related emergency incidents. It only made sense for us to partner with the Elizabethtown Rescue Squad to develop effective response plans and build good community relationships over the long term. This new facility will also include extensive training space dedicated to improving and maintaining our Fire and Rescue skills. The Fire Department remains a vital component to our community and continues to evolve with the community needs. We are extremely grateful for this opportunity. “
Chief Shelton Lewis of the Elizabethtown Rescue Squad stated, “The Elizabethtown Rescue Squad is very excited and eager to join together with the Elizabethtown Fire Department as we move forward with the construction of this new facility. With our facility being damaged and condemned after hurricane Matthew and not having anywhere to house our units, supplies, and personnel, we were excited when the Elizabethtown Fire Department opened their doors to us. We have come together to work as a team and look forward to a continuous team effort for years to come. ”
The project will take approximately two years to complete. Design and engineering is being coordinated by Terry Cox, architect and Angie Mettlen with W.K. Dickson and Associates. Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2018.
For more information, please contact Eddie Madden, Town Manager, at 910-862-2066
About Author
