At 18 degrees and sunny, carpenters with Nosal Builders worked steadily Wednesday to get the roof structure in place. Clerk of the Works Brian Feeney said the progress on the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corp’s new ambulance garage is “going really well.” So far, the roughly $4.5 million project that broke ground in mid-2013, is on schedule, he said.

Roofing trusses were going into place this week and that phase of the roof should be completed in a few weeks, Mr Feeney said.

Glancing toward the new construction that is going in at Fairfield Hills opposite from the Reed Intermediate School, Mr Feeney said, “Now you can see the actual shape.” Discernable are the three bay doors set in a skeletal exterior to the building. Also prominent in its features is a tall metal tower rising high above the building’s roofline. The tower will let light into the building’s interior, Mr Feeney said, just like a large skylight.

As work continues this winter, and once the roof is enclosed, interior work such as plumbing and electrical can begin. By springtime passersby should start to see windows going in and exterior brickwork.

The past weeks of snow and severe cold weather have partly hampered progress, Mr Feeney said, but work continues.

The Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Association is funding the work for the two-story, six-bay ambulance facility where corps members will find a building that much better serves their needs. According to Newtown-ambulance.org, “With 70 members and an annual 9-1-1 call volume of over 2200, NVAC has outgrown the facility it has occupied since 1972.” The current garage is at 77 Main Street.

“The design has taken into consideration the need for increased integration with other Newtown-based health and wellness organizations, with a second floor devoted to education. Features of the building include: individual crew-member bunk rooms, office space for the Executive Board and the Association, six garage bays, and technologically advanced electronic and security systems. This building will include a large training room to facilitate increased community educational opportunities such as CPR and AED training, First-Aid, and Scout merit badges. It will also provide space for equipment storage and training for Emergency Medical Technician classes, which are imperative  for the continuity of an all-volunteer corps.

 “Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps has been serving the community since 1941 and is committed to providing coverage of emergency medical needs for the long-term. As the population grows and the demand for service increases, so do the needs of the organization.”