| After the year they've endured, the members of the Sykesville-Freedom District Fire Department are looking forward to starting the New Year off with a clean slate, and hopefully ending it with much of their new firehouse completed.
"This year has been hectic for the most part," said Volunteer Brandon Ambush. "We've definitely had a lot of hardship."
The 21-year-old Sykesville resident and the rest of the members of the fire department were shocked this past February when mounting snow collapsed the building's roof and started a fire that destroyed its banquet hall, sleeping quarters and administrative offices. The men and women of the Sykesville-Freedom District Fire Department have spent the rest of the year living out of tents and trailers as contractors and the firehouse's building committee have worked to facilitate the rebuilding process.
Demolition of the remaining structure began late September, with everything but the firehouse's engine bay, elevator shaft and a tower on which wet hoses are hung having to go. Construction on the first phase of the firehouse, which will be bunk rooms for the members, began at the end of October. The firefighters had hoped to move into the new building Christmas Eve, but Robert Manns of Manns Woodward Studios, the architecture firm in charge of the rebuild, said they should instead expect completed sleeping quarters by the end of February.
"That's primarily a result of the delay in BGE," he said.
Manns said phase two, which will include building the firehouse's banquet hall and administrative offices, should begin around late spring or early summer, depending on site approval times. He said they are still hoping for a completely finished product by early 2012.
Public Information Officer Dennis Beard said simply being able to watch the construction process has helped to boost the morale of members.
"The construction company is making progress," he said, "[and] the men and women here ... they can now physically see it. The steel's up, they can see the progress being made."
Ambush said he is looking forward to being able to stretch out in the new building. While he admits it has been difficult for them at times, he said the camaraderie among members has gotten them through this year with a positive attitude.
"What I like the most is that we all came together like a brotherhood," Ambush said. "We're a family. We're not happy with everything that's going on, but we're sticking together." |
