Two successful grant applications made by the non-profit group behind plans for the restoration of the Welland's Central Fire Station are expected to create a major boost for the project.
The Central Station Education Initiative (CSEI) was given approval from city council last October to bring new life to the provincially-significant building at Division Street and Hellems Avenue.
Led by president Nora Reid and vice-president Claire Masswohl, the group is in the process of finalizing its lease agreement with the local government to take the building over to operate it as a multi-use facility and museum, focusing on the material and cultural history of fire, police, paramedic and other emergency services in Welland and the rest of Niagara.