We are very fortunate to live in a community that is thriving and growing. While our growth is positive, it intensifies our responsibility to keep residents safe and our properties protected.
Right now, the Borough is served by two volunteer fire companies and the Narberth Ambulance Team. Together, these three emergency responder teams support us in times of need by fighting fires, battling floods, and saving lives. The Washington Fire Company owns and operates a building where the Borough leases the fire bays for storage of public safety equipment, and the Conshohocken Fire Company # 2 owns and operates a small facility that cannot be expanded and does not meet the future needs of the Fire Department. The Conshohocken-based team from Narberth Ambulance operates out of space it owns on Apple Street.
The Borough has been presented with a unique opportunity to secure property where we could build our own public safety building in the future. This would ensure that our emergency services are able to continue to grow along with the Borough. We plan to purchase an abandoned property at 1109-1119 Fayette Street and 1201 E. Butler Pike (adjacent parcel in Whitemarsh Township) – a former car dealership that has sat vacant for nearly 15 years – and build our own public safety building dedicated to fire and EMS, that will be owned and operated by the Borough.
Both volunteer fire companies and the ambulance team will relocate to the new facility. They are very enthusiastic about this proposal, as it relieves them of the burden of managing their own stations and allows them to focus solely on protecting residents. They can get out of the real estate business and devote all their energies to being first responders.
Through this transaction, the Borough will continue to lease the fire bays for storage of public safety equipment at the Washington Fire Company. Conshohocken Fire Company #2 and Narberth Ambulance will potentially sell their facilities once the new public safety building is constructed.
A modern public safety building offers additional benefits, as well. It will house more equipment, offer on-site training, allow three emergency teams to better coordinate responses, and accommodate overnight shifts. Currently, most volunteers sleep at their homes since the stations are not conducive to overnight shifts.
In short, our residents will be the biggest beneficiaries as they realize faster response times from our emergency responders. As our Borough grows, we will be assured that we have fire and EMS teams that can grow with us.
This is a win-win-win:
- A long-abandoned property in Conshohocken will be redeveloped into a much-needed public safety building that is suitable for a growing borough of our size and complexity.
- The many emergency volunteers—who are the backbone of our emergency response teams—will enjoy a public safety home that demonstrates the Borough’s high regard for them, gives them tools that help them do their jobs better, allows them to easily collaborate with other first responders, and will help attract the best candidates in the future.
- Most importantly, the residents of Conshohocken Borough will benefit from faster emergency response times and the security of knowing that emergency services will grow as our Borough grows.
Our Borough has the capital financial reserves and borrowing capacity to acquire this land to eventually build the public safety building in the future. We believe this is a crucial step in ensuring that our growing Borough and its residents have the emergency response resources we require—not just today but for the future, as well.
This exciting opportunity will be discussed at the next Borough Council meeting on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, at 7:00 pm at Borough Hall. We encourage interested individuals to attend and participate in this discussion.
