The current Ballardvale fire station was built 125 years ago, Mansfield said, adding that the existing wooden facility is in poor condition.

 

The current building is also too small to house any large fire vehicles and there are no separate gender living facilities for the staff.  

Mansfield and Flanagan said they hope Town Meeting approves the purchase of an adjacent piece of property that would create a large enough lot for a new facility.

Each spring since 2015, Minnesota Energy Resources has partnered with the WPS Foundation to offer the safety grants to help emergency response agencies purchase equipment or implement training that improves public safety. Gas detection monitors, an automobile extrication tool and firefighting equipment are among the items this year's grants will help fund.  

Including this year's grants, the WPS Foundation has donated more than $43,000 during the past four years to help first responders improve public safety in communities Minnesota Energy Resources serves.