Renovations complete at Polk, ready for the 50th anniversary event

Polk Township Volunteer Fire Company’s hall and meeting room renovations are complete, in time for its 50th anniversary celebration in June.

“Our goal was to give it a wow factor. Firetruck pictures did not go back up. We wanted it to be a social hall, not a fire hall,” said Eddie Arnold, a member of the building and grounds committee and one of the founding members of the fire department.

The firehouse is 100 by 60 feet and the social hall is approximately 75 by 60 feet. It can hold up to 250 people.

They hired Robert K. Ace Construction, located in Tannersville.

“We are excited to be involved with a community project that everyone can enjoy. We are pleased to work with the fire department,” said Jeff Poloway, sales manager of the construction company.

They began renovating the social hall Dec. 17 and finished in mid-February.

“The social hall was pretty well gutted,” said Bill Tippett, chairman of the building and grounds committee.

Now, there is laminate flooring, sheetrock walls with wainscoting and chair rail, fresh paint, white and colored LED lighting for high efficiency, a 2-inch thick decorative stone wall, new carpeting on the stage and a decorative touch to the ceiling.

“The new beams in the ceiling break it up so there are not long runs,” said Tippett.

The ceiling beams were one of a few challenges they gave the construction crew. Another was a different pattern in the center to designate a dance floor area.

“We had drawings and ideas. They fine-tuned it. This project was a team effort,” Tippett said.

The bar now has a granite top and stone face with accent lighting around the front and sides and a hand sink inside the bar to meet new codes.

Rusty Burger put up new wainscoting inside the bar and put an ice chest on a drawer they can pull out.

Fire department members Rich Beck and Bryan Beck installed a new audiovisual system.

“Three new TVs were hung on the walls and one was reinstalled at the bar,” said Tippett.

The restrooms have new flooring and ceiling, a fresh coat of paint and motion detection LED lighting.

The two sets of double doors leading to the parking lot are new.

Foyers upstairs and downstairs now have water hog carpeting, which is a thick rubber that absorbs water on one’s shoes, Tippett said.

The kitchen received new flooring, ceiling and lighting. Upon completion, the original equipment went back in there, he said.

The display cases near the double doors and the one by the bar were cleaned during the renovation and a few older items were removed. Other than that, there were no changes to them.

Mark Heckman and Scott Murphy rebuilt the stainless-steel tray rack, where visitors to the monthly breakfasts or other social events get their meals and desserts.

Dean Haydt provided two trailers to store tables, chairs and kitchen equipment during the renovation.

Some changes may not be visible to everyone, such as the electrical updates and the new heating.

“We replaced the baseboard heating in the social hall and the meeting room,” said Tippett.

The meeting room upstairs, which can seat 40, has new flooring, wainscoting, paint and LED lights on dimmers.

Renovation completed; mission accomplished

There was no deadline to complete the meeting room. It was completed late April.

Due to special events and the department’s annual awards banquet, the contract stated the social hall had to be done in February.

“Overall, the transformation of what it was to what it is now is so beautiful. It is rewarding to be able to help a volunteer organization create a nicer venue,” said Dustin Schuler, a Robert K. Ace Construction sales associate involved in the initial planning and preparation phrases.

He was particularly pleased with how the stone accent walls and the ceiling turned out.

“The detailed trim work took the most time to give it the coffered ceiling look,” he said.

Arnold has heard many compliments since its completion.

“People can’t believe it. They are amazed. We got a lot of positive feedback on it,” he said.

50 years ago

This was the first major renovation in the department’s history. The firehouse was built in 1971.

“When built, there were no coat room, foyer or storage areas. Those were added later,” Arnold said.

In the 1960s, Polk Township was covered by Trachsville and West End fire departments.

“Trachsville was pulling out. We needed a fire company. Dick Strausberger and I went to the township supervisors’ meeting. They favored starting a department,” said Arnold, who served as fire chief for the first 10 years.

In March 1969, close to 100 township residents met at the Jonas Hotel to show their interest in starting a fire department. Strausberger was acting president and Arnold was the secretary.

In April 1969, they had their second meeting.

“We have a plaque with everyone who donated $10. We raised $2,000 to buy the first truck,” Arnold said.

They still have the truck. It still pumps water and is only used for parades now.

The second truck was donated. Both were housed in Strausberger’s garage in the winter and sat outside during the summer.

Ray Brockmier and Arnold signed the loan for the firehouse through Palmerton 1st National Bank.

Instead of the modern-day pager system with dispatch from Monroe County Control Center, they had a telephone system in seven different locations including residences, Cherry’s Sunset Diner and Strausberger’s garage.

“When one phone rang, they all rang. There was a button to push to sound the alarm. We’d each call a few people and tell them to get to the trucks,” said Arnold.

They had about 30 firefighters back then to respond to the fires, car accidents and other incidents.

Polk fire company will celebrate its 50-year journey on June 8 with a parade. The community is invited to the event.