According to Dan Bond, a partner in DE OZ Property Management, renovation of the Old Fire House on Church Street began last fall with interior demolition. Exterior work is expected to begin in mid-June with a roof replacement. The project will include apartments designed for middle-income residents.
“These will be market rate, but targeted at being affordable for families making 80 to 120 percent of the median income for Kent County,” Bond said. “Our contractor thinks construction will take a little less than a year. There will be 15 apartments, most two-bedroom, but a few one-bedroom and two studio apartments.”
The building has been prone to flooding for decades due to its proximity to the Mispillion River. Bond will address this issue by creating a parking garage on the first floor with flood vents installed around the foundation to allow water to flow through without damaging the building.
“We plan to eventually put solar panels on the roof once the city allows us to have these,” Bond said. “This will be after the city battery plan is installed so that they can use the variable solar-generated power we will produce. Right now, the city is not allowing any additional solar systems to link to the city power system.”
Another amenity planned for the project is a “pocket park” that will be available for residents as well as the public.
“The asphalt will be removed from the triangular parking area adjacent to the building and wells installed for a geothermal VRV HVAC system,” Bond said. “The area will then be landscaped for a park. Hopefully, the city will accept our offer of an easement so that the Riverwalk can be extended from Southwest Front to Church Street, running between the river and the building.”
The easement is dependent on the city obtaining grant funding to fix a concrete bulkhead along the river. The cost to repair the bulkhead is significant and, if the city accepts the easement, the repair will be their responsibility.
The building was constructed in 1925 after Carlisle Fire Company purchased the land in 1923. Known as the Community Building, it housed more than the fire company. A gymnasium on the first floor was the site of school basketball games and an upper floor held the Varney Auditorium. Named for Charles Varney, who served as president of the company for more than 30 years and was instrumental in raising funds to construct the building, it was the site of many banquets, meetings, dances, Red Cross blood donations, and more. The town library occupied rooms on the third floor.
The building housed the fire company until they built their current location on Northwest Front Street in 1978.
