Please, watch out for a major funding announcement this week!
A major federal funding announcement affecting the Welland Central Fire Station will be made Wednesday, May 19, 2021.
The Central Station Education Initiative, which leases the century-old heritage-designated fire hall from the City of Welland, is renovating and upgrading the three-storey station as a community service centre.
For more than three years, CSEI has fundraised locally, provincially and nationally promoting the preservation project despite the challenges of pandemic restrictions. Wednesday’s announcement is expected to give it a big boost.
The renewed station will include a firefighting heritage display on the ground-floor engine room. It will use physical features and artifacts left in the building when the city closed the unique firehall in the early 2000s.
Among heritage items are a fire truck, an early city-wide fire alarm system, dispatch room, fire poles, hose-drying tower, tower clock, painted city wall map and other related items.
The display will highlight local firefighting through the 20th Century, honour those involved in protecting the city and stress current fire safety methods.
The second floor has lockers, administration offices and sleeping quarters, while a third-storey is large recreation and meeting room. CSEI will rent them to community groups to help sustain the upgraded building.