Renovations complete at Andover Township Firehouse

By Mandy Coriston
Andover — The Andover Township Fire Department knew they had to do something about their upstairs restrooms, and like many renovations, it started with a snowball and turned into an avalanche. The result is a stunning overhaul of the ATFD Firehouse’s banquet and meeting space, complete with a revamped bar, a sparkling , updated kitchen, and refinished floors.
The 35’ x 70’ room now has table capacity for 250 persons, and chair seating or standing room for up to 300. Current Chief Greg Martin and Ex-Chief Bill Gallagher were eager to show off the new features of the hall, which will be available to the public for rental.
“We designed the new space to accommodate our own large events, like the chicken barbecue,” Gallagher said, “but we ended up with a space that’s perfect for anything from classes to weddings.”
The bar has been refinished with a granite and petrified wood countertop and a stone façade. Chief Martin said that he and Fire Department member Eric Danielson, who is also Andover’s Chief of Police, chose the look for the new bar.
“At first people were a little worried it would stand out too much,” Martin said, “But once the floors were refinished, the room really came together.”
With all-new sheetrock painted a light sandy shade, and white wainscoting and molding, the climate-controlled room is at once both elegant and inviting. There’s storage space built into the back corner, to hide away any unneeded tables and chairs during events, and new energy-efficient LED lighting. The room is even set up for media, with a wireless-capable sound system and a large flat-screen TV for presentations or video.
“We’re thinking about adding a large projection screen and projector, for anyone wanting to hold classes in the room,” Gallagher said, “We even invested in new lighter-weight tables that will be easier to move around.”
Martin was excited to show off their kitchen makeover, which includes all-new refrigeration units and freezers. “There’s even a warming oven,” Martin said, “which is a nice feature when we have caterers come in.” In fact, everything in the kitchen, right down to the grease trap, is brand new, except for the ovens. Martin added, “Those ovens are less than five years old, so we expect everything in here to last us for quite a while.”
The pass-through windows have even been fitted with new countertops and roll-down aluminum doors. “Again, nice if we get people in who are using the kitchen,” Martin said, “They’ll know their items are secure if they leave them overnight.”
Martin and Gallagher agree they’d like to see all manner of events take place in the redone space. “We’d love for caterers to add this to their list of options,” Martin said, “and we think it’s a great space for weddings or other celebrations. We really wanted to give Andover another venue for events.”
The fire department worked with First Hope Bank to finance the project, and Jim Eskin of Fine Homes was contracted for the renovation.
“We own our building, and secured a loan to do this,” Gallagher said, emphasizing that the project was at no cost to the taxpayers. The hall itself was originally built as an addition in the 1980’s, with a similar loan. “We used our fundraisers to pay back that loan, and we’ll do the same this time.”
Martin said, “We already began to pay down the principal with money we raised with last month’s coin drop.” The department’s other major fundraisers include their annual golf outing, chicken barbecue, and venison dinner.
Both Martin and Gallagher had nothing but good to say about working with Eskin to complete the renovation.
“We wanted to get it done in the time between our venison dinner and our chicken barbecue,” Gallagher said, “Jim was great, and I can’t say enough about his attention to detail. Even the wainscoting is custom-made.”
The work was begun in April and was completed in time to show off for the barbecue at the end of July, including the bathrooms which started the ball rolling on the whole project. Both restrooms been completely overhauled with custom tilework and water-saving fixtures, and have beautiful new vanity counters.
“They’re really nice,” Martin laughed, “and you know people will see them!”
Anyone interested in renting the firehouse hall, which is located in Andover Township at the corner of Limecrest and Lake Iliff Rds., can contact Chief Greg Martin at 845-901-7153 or Ex-Chief Bill Gallagher at 732-803-2981 for more information.