The report lists the proposed uses for the two-story, 13,000-square-foot building at 13 Church Ave. S.E. in downtown as a combination of retail, light manufacturing (such as a workshop or “maker space”), hospitality and “certain types of live entertainment.”

“It’s an icon for Roanoke and the south end of the [City] Market,” said Dale Wilkinson, a principal of Old School Partners. “Our intention is to do no harm and hopefully be able to add to the community.”

Wilkinson said negotiations with the city lasted 14 months or more.

The building, which was replaced by a new station at the corner of Elm Avenue and Franklin Road in 2007, is on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register.

The proposed floating structure would accommodate a third fire boat; new rescue watercraft, jet skis and a dive boat; men’s and women’s locker rooms, a dorm with 23 beds and officer quarters for 12; and direct ambulance access to the back of fire station for transfers of those who are injured.

If all goes as planned, the new floating station, which is to be assembled on a barge docked at Treasure Island and transported across the bay, will be delivered and operational in 2021 while the historic fire station building will continue to house a fire engine and fitness room for the San Francisco Fire Department’s Engine Company #35.

The price tag to replace the Middletown Volunteer Fire Department’s 2000 pumper truck with a new unit is $650,000 to $700,000.

The borough has $136,000 in a fund to help the department buy new equipment. The pumper has trade-in value or can be sold to a third-party vendor, but the department will need outside revenue to pay for the new apparatus, the chief said.

“My guys cannot perform enough fundraisers to raise that kind of money, with the amount of man hours they put in on top of fundraisers” in responding to calls and keeping up training, Whitebread said.

He is requesting council approve the borough being a co-applicant with the department to apply for a gaming grant through Dauphin County to help pay for a new pumper.

The apparatus was purchased thanks to funding through a Local Government Capital Improvement Grant for $270,900. The grant covered 75 percent of the vehicle's cost. The grant was a cooperative effort between trustees of Noble, Tiffin and Delaware townships to improve fire protection.