Tuesday, July 26, 2011

7/24/2011 Earthmoving Continues

Starting compacting the parking lot. From Orange Street.

Taken from Walnut Bottom Road, west side of property.


Construction entrance off of Orange Street.

Stormwater pond along Walnut Bottom Road at intersection with Orange Street.

Go Green.

Stormwater pond between Walnut Bottom Road drives. Orange cone is the northwest building corner of apparatus bay.

Cut for the first floor wall along Orange Street. Center picture is near first floor Mechanical Room.

View along Orange Street near second floor entrance.

View along Orange Street near Ambulance Bay corner.

7/26/2011 Public Opinion story



Shippensburg's Vigilant Hose close to having a new facility
By MARCUS RAUHUT Staff writer


Click photo to enlargeNew facility: Work is under way for the new Shippensburg... After about 30 years of searching, Vigilant Hose Co. No. 1 in Shippensburg will soon have a new facility.

Work is under way for the new Shippensburg Area Emergency Services Building, which will house a new station for Vigilant Hose and Shippensburg Area EMS.

Dan Byers, president of Vigilant Hose, said the fire company had been looking to replace the existing East King Street fire station for close to three decades.

"The present fire house is poor at best for equipment and apparatus," Byers said.

The East King Street facility, built around 1927, is not up to industry standards. Over the years, Vigilant Hose had to purchase fire trucks that would fit in the station.

The new $6.3 million 36,000-square-foot building is being constructed at the site of the former University Lodge hotel, which was demolished about a year ago.

It will feature five bays for the fire department, and another five for the EMS department.

The building will allow the two independent organizations to share resources and save costs.

"Some of the savings is in the combined identical use areas, like a training room, meeting room and conference room. Separately, we'd have two of each, but because we're in the same building, we can share space," Byers said.

Construction is scheduled to be finished in May 2012.

Gregg Thompson, director of marketing and business development for Brechbill & Helman Construction Co., said builders are pursing a Silver LEED certification.

Kimberly Fuhrman of SGS Architects Engineers said environmentally friendly features include a rainwater collection system that can be used to wash vehicles, high-efficiency HVAC systems, LED lighting with occupancy sensors, and local materials.

Shippensburg Area EMS and Vigilant Hose launched a capital campaign to raise $2 million for the building.

Byers said they are already about a quarter of the way toward the goal. Employees of Brechbill & Helman donated $10,000, and F&M Trust pledged $50,000.

Contractors also pledged $125,000 in services or cash donations toward the building.

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Marcus Rauhut can be reached at mrauhut@publicopinionnews.com and 262-4752.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

7/13/2011 ShipNewsNow



F&M Trust President & CEO Bill Snell presents a check for $50,000 to Capital Campaign treasurer Edward S. Goodhart, representing the bank's pledge to the Shippensburg Emergency Services Capital Campaign. Picture provided by F&M Trust



F&M Trust pledges $50,000 to new Shippensburg Emergency Services Building


13 July 2011



SHIPPENSBURG, Wednesday, July 13 – Local bank F&M Trust has pledged $50,000 to the Shippensburg Emergency Sevices Building Capital Campaign, a program which supports and collect donations for a new emergency services facility located on the corner of Orange Street and Walnut Bottom Road.

During the ground breaking ceremonies on June 30, F&M trust announced its five annual installment contribution, that will begin in 2012 and end in 2016.

The former University Budget lodge hotel site is perfect for the new building according to Kenneth Ditzler, F&M Trust marketing manager.”It’s a great location for emergency services. It has access to I-81,” he said. “It’s great for the community in Shippensburg.

The project, which was launched three years ago, is more than needed according to Megan Silverstrim, public information officer for Vigilant Hose.

Silverstrim said that the limited space at the current building on East King Street has been a problem.

“We have to get our fire trucks specially made for our (building),” she said.

Emergency and fire apparatus’ will be able to access the building through five doors, ambulances from three onto Orange Street and two for fire vehicles onto Walnut Bottom Road.

The 30,000 square foot facility will cost an estimated $7.2 million and will become the new home for Shippensburg’s Viligant Hose Company No. 1 and area Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Inc.

Grants and gifts collected by the capital campaign will pay the balance of the $6 million in financing that F&M Trust will provide for the project’s construction.

The two-story, T-shaped building will include a training center for area firefighters and EMS technicians, a dormitory for housing of on-site volunteers responding to emergencies 24 hours a day, a fire and emergency vehicles area, a fire museum, and administrative and executive offices.
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Sunday, July 10, 2011

7/10/2011 Building Stake Out





This kinda of gives you an idea of how things are laid out.








This is the corner of the building that will be the northeast corner of the Multi-Purpose Room looking towards the first floor (VHC) entrance.


This is from the inside corner near the VHC Kitchen/Living Area looking down along the town side (west side) of the engine bays.


Northwest corner of the VHC Apparatus Bays looking along the town side (west side) of the bays.



From the southwest corner of the Ambulance Bays. The SA-EMS bay doors and Orange Street entrance follow the line of the ridge to the right.


Tuesday, July 5, 2011

7/5/2011 News Chronicle story

Fire, ambulance companies break new headquarters ground


By DALE HEBERLIG
Managing Editor
Published: Tuesday, July 5, 2011 2:23 PM EDT
Ceremonial groundbreaking for a new emergency services station Thursday tugged a 29-year-long vision closer to reality for emergency service volunteers in Shippensburg.

Emergency responders and their guests gathered in the toasty evening sunshine at the site of a demolished motel to turn over 10 dusty shovelfuls of earth and mark the start of construction on a $6 million facility that will house Vigilant Hose Co. firefighters and Shippensburg Area EMS ambulance crews in a style they are not unaccustomed to.


Charlie Myers, Tom Moriarty and Bruce Hockersmith offered remarks to illustrate the steadfast pursuit of the emergency community’s goals, the landmarks along the way since the dawn of the 20th Century and the obstacles overcome to date.

Myers recounted the history of the Vigilant Hose Co. home of 83 years at 129 E. King Street, how fire apparatus was purchased to fit the building and how the building was modified to squeeze in equipment.

An annex was added in 1970, he said, and plans for a new facility started in 1982 under the leadership of Tim Costanza, who was company chief and borough mayor. Myers said company officials scoured the center of Shippensburg, looking for the right location, but never found it. Ultimately the company bought a 7-acre tract along Route 11 just north of town, but later sold that sight and invested the money. Land in the first block of West Orange Street was later purchased as a potential station site. That didn’t happen either.

Myers said several residential properties on East King Street were purchased several years ago. He said the benefit of those properties is that the ambulance company is now located there.

“But, the borough didn’t want a fire house there, so we started looking again,” Myers said, “this time with the borough’s help.”

That partnership drew assistance from Cumberland County officials and the acquisition of the burned-out former University Lodge property that was sold to the Vigilants under the threat of a seizure through condemnation and eminent domain.

“It took us 29 years to get to where we are tonight,” Myers said.

Moriarty spoke from the ambulance perspective, reviewing growing demands on emergency services through the years that culminated in the split of what was then

CV Ambulance from CV Hose Co., because their facility could no longer accommodate both groups.

Scrambling for a place to operate, Shippensburg Area EMS was born and used the space in the 200 block of E. King Street provided by Vigilant Hose Co.

“The new accommodation was, and is, less than adequate and a disservice to the ambulance personnel,” Moriarty said. “Our ambulances are parked outside in all kinds of weather, patient records are stacked in cardboard boxes on a dirt floor.”

Service was not interrupted, however, Moriarty said, and Thursday marked a new era.

“There was one ambulance, a 1931 Studebaker, when we started, now we have five and other specialized units,” he said, pointing to one the vehicles he said came at a cost of $185,000 unequipped with medical equipment.

“This new building is a dream come true,” Moriarty said.

He expressed thanks to everyone with a hand in the new building effort.

“It would take me 40 minutes to mention them all,” Moriarty said, “so I’d like to mention one in particular.”

Moriarty said the acumen of Chief Emeritus Edward Goodhart was been invaluable in establishing a financing plan for the project.

“This is a complex deal and it took unique financial skills to arrange financing,” Moriarty said. “Still, both organizations need a lot of money.”

Mayor Hockersmith also talked about history – his family’s involvement with volunteer companies from the early days and his introduction to a 1931Seagraves pumper as a 7-year-old celebrating VE Day in 1945. He said change has been frequent and sometimes rapid.

“The one thing that has been constant over the years is the dedication and skill of our volunteers,” he said.

Completion of the 36,645-square-foot station is targeted for the spring. The facility – christened the Shippensburg Emergency Services Building – is registered with the U.S. Green Building Council and is aimed at a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification.

Among the green elements of the project are recycling of demolition materials, use of regional materials made with recycled content, use of rain gardens in the storm water runoff controls, rain collection systems to recycle rainwater, use of native plants for landscaping and low-flow plumbing.

The two-story floor plan provides ample apparatus bay space, a feature in high demand by both organizations. Fire and ambulance will occupy separate areas, but share space for training fitness and conferences.