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The Hagerstown Fire Department's years-long efforts to relocate and consolidate resources could be moving forward.
Fire Chief Steve Lohr presented the city council Tuesday with an update on the department's plan to acquirea 1.08-acre parcel of land at 441 S. Potomac St. to relocate its headquarters from Church Street.
The proposed location is across the street from Bester Elementary School.
Lohr said the department has been talking about the move since 2017, and the purchase from Columbia Gas would cost $162,000 with a $20,000 deposit.
He said Columbia Gas was currently in the third of a four-year remediation agreement with the state to clean up contamination on the property.
Columbia Gas purchased the former Cassidy Trucking Co. at 441 S. Potomac St. in Hagerstown in 2013, according to a Herald-Mail report.
Adjacent to the former Hagerstown Manufactured Gas Plant property Columbia Gas purchased in 1968, the property had been used as a coal-tar pit during the gas plant's operations. The facility closed in the 1940s.
While there is no known contamination on the property the fire department is proposing the city purchase, any that is found would not be Hagerstown's responsibility to remediate, Lohr said.
According to council documents, city staff members recommend additional drilling and testing be performed on the parcel at the city’s expense to confirm the seller-sponsored testing's results. The estimated cost of the additional testing is less than $9,000 and includes six borings and an additional vapor intrusion study.
The plan also includes a proposed consolidation of some fire services within the city.
Lohr said in the "worst-case scenario" of consolidating all services, the proposal allows for an eight-bay garage,living quarters for up to 20 people and the relocation of the Hagerstown Fire Department headquarters and fire marshal's office.
The mayor and city council members all said they supported the property purchase.
The body will vote on the proposed purchase and sales agreement at a future regular session before anything officially moves forward.
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