The Village of Wellsburg will be getting a new fire station that will be fully fund by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The current fire station was severely damaged by Tropical Storm Lee in September 2011. U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer announced the 2.7 million dollars in funding on June 2nd.
Schumer met with FEMA officials in May and urged them to fund a new station. A FEMA team spent three months last fall working with county and Wellsburg officials to assess damage and repair cost of a new station. The initial conclusion was that repairs exceeded the 50 percent replacement rule needed to build a new station outside the floodplain.
Later, a Building Assessment Team investigated the damage for three hours before reducing the estimate to 49.8 percent, just under the 50 percent replacement threshold. When Shcumer met with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, he urged FEMA to use the original assessment that would allow the fire station to be reloctaed and paid for with federal funds. Saturday’s announcement “means that FEMA has heeded the call, andresidents and public safety officials of Wellsburg can rest assured that the relocation and replacement of their firehouse will be funded by FEMA,” Shcumer said.
Chemung County Legislator Rodney J. Strange applauded Sen. Schumer, Wellsburg Mayor Malcolm Coles, Chemung County Emergency Management Director Michael S. Smith, Chemung County Soil and Water District Director Mark Watts and others for their tireless efforts in working to secure funding for the new fire station. “It is clear that without the hardwork and steadfast determination by these dedicated public servents, this funding would not have happened. Wellsburg is getting a new fire station at a flood-free location because they and other did the work neccesary to qualify for the FEMA funding,” Strange said. “Chief Tom Sullivan, the Fire Commissioners, and all of the Wellsburg firefighters deserve this new station.”