One of
the challenges in preparing close to 200 snippet items for a one-year period is
to find a date for each item. Such is the case of the new fire house, or should
I say, when the equipment was moved to the new fire house on South Main Street.
If you have
ever read the older issues of the Interlaken Review, you could often
find a date based on the issue date and the comment, “…such and such happened
last Friday.” By working back from the issue date, you knew that “last Friday”
was the 29th or whatever date it might be. By the 1980s and well
before then, the paper didn’t have those detailed comments, and Facebook wasn’t
around to have selfies and play-by-play postings.
An Interlaken Review
article dated June 23, 1982, written by Valerie Bassett describes the
“corner-stone dedication last Thursday night [June 16th].” Rather
than a cornerstone to be placed and dedicated the evening was “a time to thank
all of the people who have stood by the project all these years.” At that time
the hope was to be in the new fire house within four months.
As is
often the case with construction projects, the four months became six months.
At the January 13, 1983, Village of Interlaken Board meeting the following was
reported by then Village Trustee William Larsen.
FIRE
AND POLICE Fire House is nearly completed and vehicles have been moved to new
location. Charles Franzese from Hunt's explained liquidation damages would be
assessed to the General Contractor including the cost of fuel oil needed for
old firehouse due to delay in completion of the project. Larsen moved to
approve change orders with an increase of $394.14 in the General Contract and
an increase of $497.46 in the Plumbing Contract. Second by Bassette and
carried.
Franzese
suggested the Village retain $600 from the plumbing contract until shoulder of
road is repaired to meet DOT standards.
As
I looked at my list of dates and topics, June was filling up; but January
didn’t have as many articles. Even without a true date for the move, we did
have a date when the move was recorded in the Village Minutes. That would work
for a “Snippet from the Past” date.
The
1983 Fire House was the third home to the Department. The first fire house was
located at 8377 Main Street, later the law offices of Victor Mount, and today a
private residence. What was the door to the truck bay now has a double window
in it.
 |
| Interlaken Fire Department in front of the first fire house 8377 Main Street. |
The
second fire house, and one many recall, is now gone. It was at the corner of
Railroad Avenue and Main Street. Originally it had one truck bay door, then
sometime after 1944 the front wall was remodeled to allow two truck bay doors.
 |
| 1944 Christmas photo greeting by Elizabeth Egan, I H S collection item |
 |
| Fire house with two bay doors, June 1954 Interlaken Historical Society photo #1480 |
After those early fire
houses, what were the features of the new building? Among the speakers at that
June 1982 event, several comments about the new building were noted.
Mayor Thelma Peabody
noted that the new building would be more cost effective. “The old firehouse
was very costly to heat, even to a minimum temperature." As for the cramped nature of the in-town location, she noted "The village owns the
three-and-a-half acres around the building.” Fire Chief Leon Stannard commented
on the five-bays and a more efficient set-up.
 |
| Photo from an American Legion Auxiliary Birthday Calendar Collection of the Interlaken Historical Society |
Do you know the date
when the equipment was moved? Or a memory of the old fire house? Click the
comments line below to submit items and, once reviewed, they will be shared.
Click here to read the
complete Interlaken Review
June 23, 1982 article, and to see the January 13, 1983 board meeting minutes.
| 4 below zero this morning. Bred Mully cow today. Hens laid 23 eggs. |
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