William Cameron Engine Company...

LEWISBURG — William Cameron Engine Company is seeking a $1.6 million competitive grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture for facility upgrades.Fire Chief William Blount III said the company worked with U.S. Rep. Glenn "GT" Thompson (R-15) to submit an application for the USDA's Community Facilities Program to fund the $3.2 million project. The station at 11 Buffalo Road and the administrative offices at 239 N. Fifth St. in Lewisburg were built in the mid-1960s."We garnered 45 letters of support from the community," Blount said. "We put a lot of work into a 10-day period. It's a very narrow window for that grant. It took a lot of time, energy and effort for our staff to pull things together to make sure what we needed to submit."USDA’s Community Facilities Programs offer direct loans, loan guarantees and grants for public service buildings to improve the quality of life, develop and sustain rural America. USDA’s financial support enhances rural communities' competitiveness in attracting and retaining businesses that provide employment and services for residents, according to USDA.The project includes an expansion to the administrative office building by adding a bay for another vehicle. The existing fire station will get a second floor, a specialized room for the firefighters' personal protective equipment and address plumbing and electrical issues."It would not only provide for the needs of today, but also the needs for tomorrow," Blount said. "We expect this to take us decades into the future."The William Cameron Engine Company was founded in 1874. It is staffed by career EMS and firefighting personnel and augmented by volunteer firefighters/EMTs.The Central Susquehanna Fire and Emergency Services board consists of appointees of its three full-time members: Lewisburg and East Buffalo and Kelly townships. It provides fiscal oversight. The fire company maintains independence when it comes to emergency service operations.William Cameron’s primary coverage area is Lewisburg and East Buffalo Township, along with about half of Kelly Township, about one-third of Buffalo Township and, across the Susquehanna River, about half of West Chillisquaque Township in Northumberland County.The department’s main station, “Station 2,” is located at 11 Buffalo Road in Lewisburg and houses the department’s emergency vehicles and staff.The department also occupies a building across Fifth Street from Station 2, which houses the Chief Robert Stackhouse Training Center, the Liddick-Stephens Museum, administrative offices, and equipment and supply storage. The Fifth Street building is also occasionally employed as a mock structure during department trainings.Supervisors in East Buffalo Township at Tuesday night's public meeting approved a letter of support for the fire company. Lewisburg and Kelly Township have also provided letters of support, as well as organizations like Bucknell University, WellSpan Evangelical Community Hospital and Lewisburg Downtown Partnership and private citizens, Blount said.Blount expects to hear back about the grant by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the fire company will launch a capital campaign to raise the other half of the project costs.