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Vanceburg city council passes preliminary budget
By MELINDA CHARLES, Staff Writer
VANCEBURG -- The city of Vanceburg is one step closer to getting a new fire station and community center.
In Monday's meeting of city council, members passed a preliminary $696,000 budget for acquiring land and building materials for the project.
"We've wanted a new fire station for some time," Vanceburg Mayor Angie Patton said. "When we started this process, we didn't anticipate property being so expensive."
When Vanceburg learned of the availability of grant money for such projects through Buffalo Trace Area Development District, city officials moved forward with the plan.
The Community Development Block Grant is designed to help communities that qualify with at least 51 percent of its residents considered low to moderate income homes. Buffalo Trace ADD plans to submit Vanceburg's pre-application to the Department for Local Government within the next two weeks, according to Economic Development Director Kevin Cornett.
This type of grant has already helped with a fire station and community center in Germantown as well a Garrison sewer project and a project at the Washington Opera House.
"A $500,000 non-matching grant is good but we will have to come up with $196,000 for the remainder," Patton said. "We also plan to search for some low-income loans and hope to sell surplus lands at auction."
The city has already received three proposals for a site and the cost of each tract of land is about the same, according to Patton. City council hopes to chose a site as early as next month.
The Vanceburg Fire Department currently operates out of two sites, which are approximately two miles apart. The station on Front Street, known as Station One, is more than 50 years old and sits in the flood plain. It has been flooded even after the 1937 flood, according to Patton. Station Two is on Fairlane Drive but the metal building there is not large enough to garage the larger trucks.
The fire department currently has three pumper trucks, a four-wheel drive SUV, a Jaws of Life unit and an air-cascade unit.
Because of the location of the railroad track in Vanceburg, Station One will remain in operation even after the new station is built. It is a requirement of the Insurance Services Organization to have trucks on both sides of the tracks in the event a train blocks the crossing during an emergency.
The addition of the community center to the fire station could also add new opportunities for citizens.
There is already a senior citizens center in Vanceburg but the proposed community center will offer a place for organizations to hold meetings as well as providing an area for groups or individuals to rent to hold functions such as reunions, receptions and showers, according to Patton.
"Once the building is complete, we hope to apply for more grants to get computers and possibly offers classes for extended education," Patton said.
In addition to this, the community center could also offer exercise classes or acquire exercise equipment.
Although there is not a design for the building yet, the meeting room could seat between 50 and 75 people along with a kitchen and office space for the fire department.
"It's good (to have a community center nearby) because fire departments often become the central meeting place for residents during an emergency," Cornett said.
Plans for the facility include a 50,000 to 60,000 square foot building with the fire station able to accommodate up to six large trucks as well as other necessary equipment.
Contact Melinda Charles at melinda.charles@lee.net or by calling 606-564-9091, ext. 274.
For more area news, visit www.maysville-online.com.
In Monday's meeting of city council, members passed a preliminary $696,000 budget for acquiring land and building materials for the project.
"We've wanted a new fire station for some time," Vanceburg Mayor Angie Patton said. "When we started this process, we didn't anticipate property being so expensive."
When Vanceburg learned of the availability of grant money for such projects through Buffalo Trace Area Development District, city officials moved forward with the plan.
The Community Development Block Grant is designed to help communities that qualify with at least 51 percent of its residents considered low to moderate income homes. Buffalo Trace ADD plans to submit Vanceburg's pre-application to the Department for Local Government within the next two weeks, according to Economic Development Director Kevin Cornett.
This type of grant has already helped with a fire station and community center in Germantown as well a Garrison sewer project and a project at the Washington Opera House.
"A $500,000 non-matching grant is good but we will have to come up with $196,000 for the remainder," Patton said. "We also plan to search for some low-income loans and hope to sell surplus lands at auction."
The city has already received three proposals for a site and the cost of each tract of land is about the same, according to Patton. City council hopes to chose a site as early as next month.
The Vanceburg Fire Department currently operates out of two sites, which are approximately two miles apart. The station on Front Street, known as Station One, is more than 50 years old and sits in the flood plain. It has been flooded even after the 1937 flood, according to Patton. Station Two is on Fairlane Drive but the metal building there is not large enough to garage the larger trucks.
The fire department currently has three pumper trucks, a four-wheel drive SUV, a Jaws of Life unit and an air-cascade unit.
Because of the location of the railroad track in Vanceburg, Station One will remain in operation even after the new station is built. It is a requirement of the Insurance Services Organization to have trucks on both sides of the tracks in the event a train blocks the crossing during an emergency.
The addition of the community center to the fire station could also add new opportunities for citizens.
There is already a senior citizens center in Vanceburg but the proposed community center will offer a place for organizations to hold meetings as well as providing an area for groups or individuals to rent to hold functions such as reunions, receptions and showers, according to Patton.
"Once the building is complete, we hope to apply for more grants to get computers and possibly offers classes for extended education," Patton said.
In addition to this, the community center could also offer exercise classes or acquire exercise equipment.
Although there is not a design for the building yet, the meeting room could seat between 50 and 75 people along with a kitchen and office space for the fire department.
"It's good (to have a community center nearby) because fire departments often become the central meeting place for residents during an emergency," Cornett said.
Plans for the facility include a 50,000 to 60,000 square foot building with the fire station able to accommodate up to six large trucks as well as other necessary equipment.
Contact Melinda Charles at melinda.charles@lee.net or by calling 606-564-9091, ext. 274.
For more area news, visit www.maysville-online.com.
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