CANTON – “No one can be as happy as I am today,” said Canton Fire Chief Wayne Dube at the open house on Sunday for the town’s new $250,000 fire station.
“Every time we had to work on an engine or access equipment, one truck had to pulled out of the station so we could have access. Every time we had a training session, we had to pull all the trucks out of the bays. This month we had a regional meeting here in our large training room and were able to accommodate five or six towns,” he said.
The Canton Volunteer Fire Department now has three double bays with plenty of room to get to each one. In addition to the spacious bay area and training room, the station has a second large room with kitchen and food pantry. The men’s and women’s bathrooms have the large showers that are needed after firefighters encounter hazardous materials. There is an office for the chief, maintenance room and completely equipped dispatch room. A large loft area will store emergency equipment, such as cots and blankets.
Terry Ann Stevens, development project manager from the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development Office in Augusta, which awarded the grant, attended Sunday’s open house.
“They have done a remarkable job with this facility,” she said.
Dube said that he, his wife, Mary, and Sue Gammon wrote the grant, which was awarded in January. This was Dube’s second attempt for a grant.
The highlight of the day was to recognize names on two plaques.
One is dedicated to 32 Canton Fire and Rescue Department people who had served since 1960. The second plaque honors 48 people who volunteered 3,000 man-hours to turn the dream of a new station into a reality.
“Without these people, it couldn’t have been done,” Dube said.
Engineers on the project were Eric Grondhal, John Cleveland of Community Dynamics and Professional Engineering Design. Concrete contractor was Coleman Concrete Inc. and carpentry was done by Mark Blanchette. LL Well Drilling did the well and Hutchins Electrical the plumbing and heating.
“I think back two years ago when our small station was flooded and I can’t believe the improvements made in this town,” Dube said.
In December 2003, Dube and other firefighters had to go door to door alerting residents to evacuate when the Androscoggin River quickly overflowed its banks. That included about 100 residents of a nursing home.
That flood, the last in a series of floods that had hit Canton’s village throughout the years, caused more than $2 million damage. In August, the town was notified about a $3 million Federal Emergency Management Agency grant it will receive to continue the buyout of approximately 66 homes in the Whitney Brook and Androscoggin River flood plains. The town’s goal is to demolish many of those houses and establish a new village center on higher ground.
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