That facility is in need of significant updates to maintain the efficiencies of the company, and embrace the modern challenges the company faces. Several studies conducted over the past few years have determined that a renovation of the existing building would be cost prohibitive.

That’s why it opted to move forward with the $3.5 million construction of a new facility, built over the footprint of the existing building.

“It’s exciting but very busy,” said Tom Walters, Limerick Fire Company president. “Through this process it ended up being significantly more than seven digits to remodel the existing building than it cost to tear down and build a brand new building. That’s why we’re building a brand new building.”

The groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility will be held Saturday, Oct. 29, from 10-11 a.m. Among those in attendance will be state Sen. John Rafferty, R-44th Dist., state Rep. Tom Quigley, R-146th Dist., as well as township supervisors and staff and other dignitaries. Demolition of the existing fire house will take place on or about Nov. 5. The new two-story, 20,000-square-foot building will be equipped with five drive-through apparatus bays. Included in the overall square footage is space for the existing members to sleep while staffing the station during weather events, or other emergencies. Other vital spaces will include training and study rooms for the more than 70 active firefighters to meet mandated training certifications, equipment and radio rooms, along with administrative offices. The new station will also provide accommodations to maintain emergency medical services staffing provided by Trappe Ambulance Company, and a space to support the township emergency operations center.

As the investigation comes to a close, the fire department and Morgan County will be able to start demolition on the standing walls of the burnt-out building.

“We have released them to start (demolishing) the building. We are done. We are just waiting on the final reports,” said Chris Carey, an administrator for Risk Pool.

Carey said that means funds will be released to the county soon.

“I do have an outside company that is doing the fire investigation, and then I have another guy out there trying to do an appraisal on what it is going to cost to rebuild the building to establish what the actual cash value and replacement cost of the building are, so there are multiple people working on this,” Carey said.

The cause of the fire is still unknown at this time.

“No, we don’t know one way or the other, (it’s) undetermined. Basically what happens is, if I can’t pinpoint exactly 100 percent what the fire source or ignition is, I have to do it undetermined,” said George Harms, assistant state fire marshal. “But I put it in the area of the brush truck, in front of the brush truck.”

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