The Town of Newton is very excited to begin construction on a brand new firehouse.
The Town announced earlier this week that they will be hosting a groundbreaking for the project on November 1st, but the idea has been in the works for quite some time.
Kelly Christiansen, a past Town of Newton Board Member, was on the committee that has been planning this project for the past three years.
The Department was first founded in 1947, and the current firehouse was built in 1963, but as technology changed, so have the needs of the Department.
“Over the years, equipment, as far as number of vehicles, the size of vehicles, everything has just increased so much,” he explained. “It’s got to a point where you need to look at it.”
The cost of the project is unknown at this time, as the Board just recently began taking bids, but Christiansen did reveal, “We were approved by the community to spend up to $7 million.”
Denise Thomas is the Chairman of the Town of Newton. She gave us some details regarding a fundraising campaign that is currently underway, thanks to the generosity of the Kruidenier Charitable Foundation.
“It’s a 50/50 match and it’s up to 250,000,” she explained. “It is going from now until December 31st
Thomas praised the work of the men and women in the Department as they are called to situations around the County, and are working to train the next generation of firefighters through its cadet program.
“On this department, you’re looking at some of the members that are third and fourth generation, so we do have that longevity, which is wonderful,” the Board Chair noted. “It’s total volunteer, so they put in a lot of time. I know firsthand because our son is in it.”
All are invited to the groundbreaking ceremony at the Fire Department, located at 6520 Carstens Road in Newton.
The ceremony will begin at 10:00 a.m.
