Ever since legislative and senatorial districts were redrawn to cover Bristol Borough, state Senator Steve Santarsiero and state Rep. Tina Davis have been in constant touch with each other, both in full agreement on priorities for Bristol Borough.
On Tuesday, outside the municipal building they jointly announced a $1 million dollar grant that will be applied towards the construction of a state of the art centralized fire station at a site yet to be determined.
The station, once a site is chosen, will house the four fire companies currently serving the borough for “generations to come,” Santarsiero said.
“We’re always going to make sure we take great care of our first responders,” Davis said.
Plans are in the works, officials said, for the new fire station to also house the Bucks County Rescue Squad.
Presently, Santarsiero and Davis have brought back to Bristol Borough and the Bristol Borough Fire Association $1.75 million for a project estimated to cost in the neighborhood of $10 million for construction.
A site for the new modernized fire station has yet to be chosen, officials said Friday afternoon despite erroneous reporting by another local publication.
Bristol Borough Fire Association President Steve Reeves said he looks forward to the day where fire trucks leaving and returning to the Pond Street fire station no longer present safety concerns for first responders and local motorists.
“This level of investment speaks directly to the importance of and the future of emergency services here in our community.”
“There were a couple of things that happened here today that reminded me of additional reasons why this is such an important project. The congestion that happens here is dangerous for our firefighters when backing up apparatus into the Pond St station,” Reeves said.
Reeves also said the current stable of fire trucks are not able to house in buildings such as the firehouse adjacent to the Bristol Borough Municipal Building.
“We’re going to be building a firehouse for generations to come,” Reeves said, thanking for a second time the mayor, council, Davis and Santarsiero for securing funding.
The funding comes from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Local Share Account (LSA).
A little more than 22 months ago, America Hose, Hook and Ladder #2 (Station 25) and Bristol Consolidated Volunteer Fire Company (Station 50) announced their housing together as part of the Bristol Borough Fire Company consolidation process.
Somewhere above former Mayor Joe Saxton is smiling. The consolidation of the Bristol fire companies and getting a new fire station project off the ground were priorities of his before he passed away.
Credit: Jeff Bohen, Lower Bucks Source
Recent Comments