Camden hopes for firehouse funding

South Mills VFD seeks stimulus grant

By Toby Tate
Staff Writer

Monday, October 26, 2009

Camden officials should find out in the next several weeks whether the South Mills fire station project has been awarded federal grant funding.

Two months ago, the South Mills Volunteer Fire Department applied for $1.4 million in stimulus grant funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The grant would pay for construction of a new fire station in South Mills.

South Mills Fire Chief Tommy Banks said his department’s current fire station, built in 1973, is too small for the department’s needs. Firefighters currently can’t even meet at the station without first removing fire engines from the bays, he said.

“Basically, we’re just cramped,” Banks said. “We’ve outgrown the building.”

Banks told Camden commissioners last week that the department currently has more than 30 volunteer firefighters.

The property where the new station would be built, along Culpepper Road, was donated to the county two years ago. Banks said he’s been trying ever since to finance a new building.

The station would cost between $950,000 and $1.3 million, Banks said.

“If we get the stimulus grant the station will cost more because the building has to comply with more standards,” he said.

Banks said the new fire station would be about 10,000 square feet and include four double bays and areas for training and meeting space. It also would house an ambulance operated by Pasquotank-Camden Emergency Medical Services.

Camden County Manager Randall Woodruff said the EMS unit would provide ambulance service to the northern areas of Camden and Pasquotank counties.

“It’s an outstanding improvement to be made and with EMS it will have a quicker response time to getting patients back to the hospital,” he said.

Woodruff said local officials should know sometime over the next several weeks if the fire station grant has been approved.

If the federal stimulus funding doesn’t come through, the South Mills VFD still has other options.

“They’re (also) looking at USDA Rural Development (funds),” Woodruff said. “They’ve had discussions with USDA and got a favorable response.”

Woodruff said the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides funds for both public buildings and local governments.

“They just did funding projects for the South Mills Water Association to build a new water tower and water transfer line,” he said.

USDA also partially funded the new Albemarle Regional Jail operated by Camden, Pasquotank, and Perquimans counties, Woodruff said.