web1_walkathon02.jpg

Wyoming Valley Children’s Association 24th Annual Walkathon attracts hundreds to Forty Fort

Our Opinion: Passage of state’s ABLE Act proves lawmakers capable of good work; let’s see more of it

<p>HANOVER TWP. &#8212; A long-awaited centralized, state-of-the-art fire station has life once again.</p><p>The township began accepting bids for construction of the station on the San Souci Parkway, next to Hampton House, last week and will continue to do so until Wednesday. The project has been more than three years in the making.</p><p>It was originally expected to be completed by March of this year. Township Manager Sam Guesto now hopes to have the station built by June 2017. The project has outlasted two fire chiefs &#8212; Stan Browski and Jeff Tudgay. Current Fire Chief Joe Temerantz was installed in 2014.</p><p>Guesto said plans call for the station being a one-level building with five truck bays. It will allow the township to close three of its five current stations.</p><p>Guesto said the total cost of the consolidation will be approximately $2.6 million. The township received a Local Share Account grant for $1 million in 2013 and will take out a $1.6 million construction loan.</p><p>The sealed bids for the project will be opened at 2 p.m. April 27 in the Hanover Township Municipal Building.</p><p>Instead of having separate fire departments, the township is considered a single fire district with five stations.</p><p>&#8220;There are no more boundaries,&#8221; Temerantz said. &#8220;We have one meeting, one fund.&#8221;</p><p>There are currently stations in the Breslau, Hanover Green, Newtown and Preston sections of the township. The township also rents space in a station in neighboring Warrior Run.</p><p>Guesto said the township will keep open the Newtown station and keep renting space in Warrior Run once the new building opens. The other stations will be closed.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s time to move on and make it better for the community,&#8221; Temerantz said.</p><p><strong>&#8216;Frustrating Process&#8217;</strong></p><p>The district bought the former Square H Lumber Yard on the San Souci Parkway in 2012. The purchase of the four-acre parcel came after a state fire marshal study said a &#8220;centralized station would be a benefit to the community,&#8221; Guesto said.</p><p>The building on the site was demolished by John Halliday Trucking and Northeast Cartage at no cost to the township. Quad 3 Group of Wilkes-Barre then spent nearly a year designing the new building and having its plans approved by the United States Department of Agriculture.</p><p class="p1">In 2012, Tudgay told the Times Leader that the proposed station would have eight double-deep bays and have firefighters within five minutes of any point in the 22-square-mile township.</p><p class="p1">However, bids on the project that were opened in October of 2015 were considerably more than the original cost estimate, Guesto said.</p><p>It was then the township decided to &#8220;pare the project down,&#8221; according to Guesto.</p><p>&#8220;The set back was very disappointing,&#8221; Guesto said, adding that the whole experience was a &#8220;frustrating process.&#8221;</p><p>The township decided on splitting the project into five separate bids after finding out that due to rock on the site blasting may have to be done. The bids were divided as follows:</p><p>&#8226; General construction</p><p>&#8226; HVAC construction</p><p>&#8226; Plumbing construction</p><p>&#8226; Electrical construction</p><p>&#8226; Site-work construction, which includes the potential blasting of the rock</p><p>Guesto said that the township will take one bid for all five if it comes in at a &#8220;reasonable cost.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;(We) hope to have shovels in the dirt by June 1,&#8221; Guesto said, noting the project should take roughly a year to complete.</p><p>Temerantz agreed with Guesto, hoping by this time next year &#8220;we should be asking when can we move in.&#8221;</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/hanover-firehouse-4-17-16-1.pdf">
<div class="neCaption">FOR PRINT</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/hanover-firehouse-4-17-16-1.pdf</photo0><caption0>FOR PRINT</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_hanover-firehouse-4-17-16-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">FOR WEB</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_hanover-firehouse-4-17-16-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>FOR WEB</caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Hanover Township accepting bids for project</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Melanie Mizenko</p><p>mmizenko@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>UP NEXT</p><p>Bids for the centralized fire station construction will be opened 2 p.m. April 27 in the Hanover Township Municipal Building.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Melanie Mizenko at 570-991-6116 or on Twitter @TL_MMizenko</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Long-awaited Hanover Township fire station project back on track