By John Tredrea, Special Writer
The Pennington Planning Board has approved the Pennington Fire Company’s proposed expansion of its firehouse on Broemel Place.
The board OK’d the fire company’s application for site plan approval on Dec. 12. About 20 uniformed members of the company attended the meeting, which was marked by strong support for the proposed expansion from community leaders.
During the public hearing on the application, Michael Chipowsky, chairman of the Hopewell Township Board of Fire Commissioners and a former longtime Hopewell Township police chief, said: “As an individual, I support this project. It will go far to make the fire company’s operations better.”
”The fire company needs the space this expansion will give them,” said Mark Blackwell, chairman of the Pennington Board of Fire Commissioners for 15 years.
No tax money will be used for the expansion.
The fire company will pay for it on its own, said Roger Demareski, fire company member who chaired the company’s committee on the expansion of the firehouse. After Planning Board approval, he said he hopes the company’s fundraising drive for the building expansion will pick up steam now that the project has been OK’d.
Mr. Demareski said the project includes maintenance that has been out off for years. He said the firehouse, built in 1967, has leaks in the roof, windows and exterior walls. He said expansion of the building would solve problems of “severely cramped office space, an outdated radio/emergency operations center, lack of a legally required ADA (American Disabilities Act)-compliant restroom, lack of a members room or “ready room,” lack of a conference room and energy inefficiencies.
The firehouse is to be expanded to the north, toward Broemel Place, and to the east, and toward the station house of the Pennington First Aid Squad, which is next to the firehouse.
During the Planning Board meeting, Kirk Schmitt, captain of Pennington First Aid, supported the firehouse expansion. He backed Mr. Demareski’s opinion that improvements to the firehouse would help the fire company attract new volunteer members.
Mr. Schmitt said improvements to the first aid station, made several years ago, include a new squad room that has resulted in more members spending time at the station, ready to answer calls.
”If you want to increase volunteerism and get the fire trucks out faster, this addition to the firehouse can help,” Mr. Schmitt said.
Leigh Abey, president of the Pennington Fire Company, agreed. “I think this addition will increase our volunteerism,” he said.
One more step needs to be taken before the addition can be built, Mr. Demareski said. This is for the Pennington Borough Council to modify the deed on the fire station property, to allow the expansion toward Broemel Place.

