After almost 10 years of planning, Otter Lake Volunteer Fire Department personnel’s dream of a new fire house will become a reality when construction of their new facility begins in the spring.

Upcoming construction of the fire house is made possible by a grant through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Fire Station Construction Grant Program (SCG).

The announcement of the Otter Lake Fire Department’s grant award of $1,126, 431 was made in September 2009 by U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

Senator Schumer wrote a letter of support that was included in the department’s application.

The department enlisted the services of Central Adirondack Partnership for the 21st Century (CAP-21) and Julie Benzo, grant writer for CAP-21 at that time, to put together the application for the SCG.

The SCG was a highly competitive grant which had over 6,000 applicants from across the country—including 343 from New York state—vying for $210 million in grant funds.

In the end, only 115 of the applicants received grant awards.

The Otter Lake Department was not only the highest award amount recipient for rural departments across the country, but also the only fire department in New York state to receive SCG funding.

“This will really address the safety issues we’ve been having to deal with and will allow us to house all our equipment at a more visible site. I can’t say enough about Julie Benzo-Barber and CAP-21 who helped us in securing this grant,” Captain Tom Abrial said at the time of the grant announcement.

Beebe Construction Services of Utica has been selected as prime contractor for the project which is expected to be completed in October 2011.

Nelson Associates Architectural Engineering of Clinton, NY, project architects and engineers, has worked closely with fire department personnel to finalize the building design, plans and specifications.

The new station complements the North Country in its design.

It has a double-depth three bay apparatus floor in the front with one bay at the rear of the building, a dispatch room, office for the Fire Chief, semi-private bunkrooms, restrooms, shower and changing room, a training/community room for public groups to utilize with full commercial kitchen located at the rear of the building.

Nelson Associates followed Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED®) criteria in designing the new firehouse.

Energy modeling assisted in identifying energy efficient mechanical systems and lighting.

The interior also includes an in-slab radiant floor heating system, heat pumps, two boilers, fire protection system and an energy management system.

The new fire station will be constructed on a lot across the road from the Adirondack Grocery on Route 28 in Otter Lake.

The property was purchased by the department seven years ago with the intent of some day constructing a new fire house.

Fire personnel have operated from the present station—the former Otter Lake School—since the department’s inception in 1950.

Though the structure, which was built in 1926, has seen extensive modifications throughout the years, there were structural and site limitations that could not be changed.

With the increased sizes of fire apparatus and addition of specialized emergency equipment, the company has outgrown its space.

Also, its location has been the cause of safety concerns for northbound traffic when the department responds to emergency situations.

The driveway-entering Route 28 is on a steep uphill grade with very limited visibility.

The tight turn at the top of the driveway forces the trucks to cross over the center line into the northbound lane when responding to calls.

The new location is slightly above the highway, and the apparatus bays will have plenty of room for the trucks, equipment and training.