Well, it’s taken longer than we originally anticipated to get this project off the ground – and we appreciate all your support during this time – but we finally have a projected start date for the station remodel.  Our plans have been finalized and submitted for permits and our contractor has given us an April 15th start date for the project.  The first part of the remodel will involve demolition work inside the building in preparation for pushing out the front wall, etc, so there may be few outward signs of the work being done (aside from increased activity around the station), but as we move into spring and summer, you can expect to start seeing progress.

Department members have finished emptying the station of everything not currently in use, transferring most of it to two storage containers – one up near the Water & Sewer Building for things we may need to access during construction and one down by the mailsheds for things that we just have to hold in storage.  Equipment the department uses regularly will be moved over to the Water & Sewer building prior to the start of construction.  Our thanks to the Crystal Lakes Associations, who have been very helpful during this process, especially in arranging to host our turnout gear and two of our trucks in the Water & Sewer Building.  By the time construction begins on April 15th, we will have moved our engine and tender into the Water & Sewer Building, where we can store them with the water in them, prepared for immediate response.  During cold weather, we’re unable to park trucks outside with water in them, due to the risk of water freezing in the pumps and damaging them.  We’ll drain the water out of our brush trucks and park them and other apparatus outside near the Association shop, refilling them once the risk of freezing passes.

We’ll be fully operational during construction, responding from the Water & Sewer Building, and will hold our 4th of July celebration and other events as usual.  The exception is the Rummage Sale, which we are unable to undertake out of the fire station again this year.  Member of CL F.I.R.E.S. are discussing the possibility of holding smaller, localized sales, perhaps out of members’ garages, and we’ll keep you informed about that option as we come to some decisions.  We do plan to have the Rummage Sale back the summer of 2018.

Thank you again for your patience during this extended process.  We expect to have substantial completion of the station remodel done by the end of the year and look forward to holding open houses and inviting you all in to see your new fire station.