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Captain urges city to secure historic firehouse after engine moved and utilities lost
Summary
Captain Gary Conway Jr. told aldermen the 135-year-old company firehouse has no heat or running water, membership and equipment are at risk, and the company needs clarity about the city's plans and a place to store historical artifacts if they must vacate.
Gary Conway Jr., captain with the Ansonia Fire Department, asked the Board of Aldermen for information about the future of his company's 135-year-old firehouse, saying the company currently lacks heat and running water and its engine has been moved out of the building. "Currently, right now, we're not meeting in the firehouse because we have no heat or running water," he said, adding the company has 150 years of history and artifacts that need safekeeping if the house is abandoned.
Conway said members want to know how long the city will allow them to stay in the building and where their stored items (including an 1876 parade carriage and historical records) would be kept if they must relocate. The board responded that staff would look into the issue and that Conway should continue to raise the matter with fire commissioners and leadership.
Why it matters: The comment highlights an operational problem for a long-standing volunteer company and raises historic-preservation concerns for irreplaceable artifacts.
What happens next: City staff and the mayor's office said they would try to find information and return with options; no binding commitment or funding decision was made during the meeting.
