KEENE, N.Y. -
Work is set to begin on a new firehouse in Keene, N.Y.
Half the building was washed away during Tropical Storm Irene. FEMA granted $680,000 for the project, but yanked half the funding hours before work was set to begin earlier this month, based on a technicality.
Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-New York, provided the community with a state community renewal grant of $640,000. It covers the cash FEMA declined to pay, plus the $300,000 relocation fee. Construction is expected to begin in a few days and should be complete by next spring.
"We came together, we will find a way. And if we are really good, we will find a way to come back and build a better firehouse, a larger firehouse and a firehouse that is better prepared for the future," Cuomo said.
The funding came at a critical time-- bids for the project were scheduled to expire Friday. The other half of the $2.3 million project is being funded through insurance money and a bond.
In the meantime, the fire trucks are being stored in various garages and barns in town.
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