Newtown Hook & Ladder volunteer firefighters plan to mark a long-awaited move from their 1929 firehouse at 45 Main Street to their new firehouse at 12 Church Hill Road with a procession of firefighters, fire vehicles, and antique fire apparatus on Friday, September 2.Private Picnic, Open House

Hook & Ladder President Rick Camejo said August 24 he expects the procession to start about 12:15 pm. Participants will leave the firehouse near Edmond Town Hall and then head southward on Main Street to the flagpole, where they will turn left onto eastbound Church Hill Road and then move onward to the new firehouse.

A group of past Hook & Ladder fire chiefs and life members of the fire company are expected to be in the procession. The route is slightly less than half a mile.

After the fire company's vehicles are garaged in the new facility, Hook & Ladder will be responding to fire calls from that location, Mr Camejo said. The fire company's current vehicles include Engine 1, Engine 111, Engine 112, Rescue 113, and Ladder 114, as well as a command vehicle.

At 1 pm on September 2, a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony will be held at the new firehouse. First Selectman Pat Llodra will cut the ribbon and is expected to speak. Other officials also are expected to comment.

The ceremony is open to the public, but a luncheon that will follow there is limited to invited guests.

On Labor Day, which is Monday, September 5, Hook & Ladder will hold a private picnic at the new firehouse for members of the five local volunteer fire companies, including Dodgingtown, Hawleyville, Sandy Hook, and Botsford. Hook & Ladder has held such a Labor Day picnic for local volunteer firefighters for many years at its 45 Main Street firehouse.

Mr Camejo said Hook & Ladder will hold an open house at the new firehouse for the general public sometime in October, in conjunction with Fire Prevention Week. The date for that event, which will be on a weekend day, has not yet been set.

The new two-story Colonial-style firehouse has approximately 16,500 feet of floor space. Although the building appears quite traditional as viewed from the street, its interior is very modern, with various features and amenities provided within to encourage company members to spend time there.

Hook & Ladder firefighters had been seeking new quarters for more than 25 years, but for one reason or another, plans for a new facility at various locations repeatedly fell through.

The town-owned firehouse at 45 Main Street was "condemned" in 1998, being deemed structurally unsound. Since then, steel beams have been in place to prop up that failing structure.

The fire company purchased a 3.16-acre site on Church Hill Road for the new firehouse for $500,000 from Trinity Episcopal Church. The construction work for the new structure is estimated to cost approximately $2.5 million. The town has approved a $1.5 million subsidy for the project.

The Aquarion Water Company's new pumphouse for its public water supply system is under construction at the firehouse site. That facility will replace an underground pumping station located at 3 Main Street.

Besides the basic features of garage space, offices, day room, meeting room, kitchen, pantry, rest rooms, and shower, the new firehouse holds a large room where the fire company will display its collection of antique fire equipment.