It was a long time coming, but on Wednesday, April 22, Newtown Hook & Ladder volunteer firefighters finally celebrated the start of construction of their new firehouse at groundbreaking ceremonies held at the 12 Church Hill Road worksite.

The event marked the fruition of the fire company’s long-running pursuit of new quarters to replace the antiquated, structurally unsound town-owned firehouse at 45 Main Street, which the company has been using since it was built in 1929.

Plans call for Hook & Ladder to start using a new approximately 16,000-square-foot firehouse in the spring of 2016.

The fire company recently bought 3.16 acres for $500,000 from Trinity Episcopal Church as a construction site. The cost to construct the new firehouse is estimated at $2.5 million. Town officials have agreed to provide $1.5 million for the project.

The fire company had searched for a site for a new firehouse for decades, with one proposal after the next falling through, for one reason or another.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, smiles up and down the line of those participating reflected their happiness and relief that a new firehouse will finally be built.

Rob Manna of Hook & Ladder told those at the groundbreaking event that the company will soon launch a drive to raise the remaining approximately $500,000 needed for the project.

Hook & Ladder Chief Ray Corbo, who has been a Hook & ladder member for 27 years, provided a history of the fire company’s efforts to get a new firehouse.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with the location of the new fire headquarters,” he said, noting its centrality in the company’s fire district.

Lee Glover, a past Hook & Ladder chief, provided some recollections on the fire company’s history. He said that the Hook & Ladder has been known by the general public over the years as the fire company located behind Edmond Town Hall. He quipped that he hopes the unit does not now become known as the fire company behind Trinity Episcopal Church.

First Selectman Pat Llodra noted that a 1999 engineering report pointed out the many deficiencies in the firehouse at 45 Main Street, highlighting the need for new fire facilities.

“It really has been a very difficult struggle” for the fire company to get new quarters, she said.

“It’s the right thing for this community to do…It’s the culmination of a more than 40-year effort,” she said.

Borough Warden James Gaston, Sr, commended Hook & Ladder firefighters for their persistence, patience, and perseverance in seeking new quarters.

“Congratulations, Hook & Ladder… [For] this firehouse, you’ve waited a long time. You deserve it. You’ve earned it,” Mr Gaston said.