FRASER VALLEY — The East Grand Fire Protection District is getting an update to its firehouse after more than 30 years and is in the process of gutting the firehouse to make way for new and improved appliances and a new design of the interior of the building.

The complete remodel of the building will include updating the ventilation and heating systems in the firehouse as well as an interior design that will be more conducive for fire department’s staff and visitors.

“We really haven’t done anything for 32 years except the carpet and paint,” said East Grand Fire Chief Todd Holzwarth. “Lets just tear it all out and start over, which is pretty much what we are doing.”

The project is expected to be completed in June or July of this year and is estimated to cost the fire department around $700,000.

Holzwarth commented that the fire department is able to afford the project thanks to voters approving the transition of a bond mill levy to an operating mill levy in 2003.

“The voters were very nice to us to give us that flexibility to do this,” he said.

The fire department does not have to seek any additional funding avenues to fund the project.

Firehouse staff have moved to a location at the Park Center in Winter Park, near the Conoco and Ullrs, until the remodel is completed.

The fire district had three contractors bid on the project, all of their bids were fairly close to each other, Holzwarth said. The district chose MW Golden Constructors for the work mostly based on price. MW Golden Constructors, which often does work in Grand County, is based out of Castle Rock.

The contractor is using a number of local companies to complete the majority of the work on the project with Grand Electrical Services, based out of Tabernash, working through the electrical systems associated with the project, Granby Heating & Sheet Metal taking on the ventilation and heating systems, and Grand Lake Plumbing & Heating Services working to remodel the bathrooms and other plumbing for the building.

Part of the update is installation of new ventilation and heating systems, as well as designing the building to accommodate the new systems more efficiently.

The old ventilation and heating system created some cold spots in the building as well as some hot spots and was about 75 to 80 percent efficient, according to Holzwarth. The new system is in the 90 percentile for efficiency.

The firehouse will also get new insulation that should help to keep the heat created by the new heating system in the building for longer.

The remodel will also include an update to the lighting systems in the building, which will require half the amount of lights. The old lighting systems are going to be reused in storage areas.

The department will also be adding a vestibule to the buildings entrance to help direct visitors to the correct entryway.

“We’ve always had an issue with people coming into the wrong door,” Holzwarth said. “The new entrance should help people find the right entrance.”

Part of the design is to expand the windows that look into the bay area where the fire engines are housed to allow for better view of the fire engines for visitors and their children who come to tour the firehouse.

The update will also included a redesign of the training room, although the fire district will be utilizing many of the existing training devices such as their projector and screen and white boards.

The fire district will also be reorganizing the layout of its offices through the remodel and will be creating spaces to store various equipment from the gear needed to fight fires, to the copiers needed to print training materials.

“We are just trying to create spaces for things to be,” Holzwarth said. “Unlike now were are just out.”

The firemen will also enjoy a small new kitchen, something Holzwarth and the rest of his staff will be looking forward to utilizing. “You could barely make coffee in the old kitchen,” Holzwarth said.

Architect Scott Munn, of Munn Architecture, LLC, Granby, was hired for the firehouse project’s design.

Holzwarth said they are working to finalize a few of the minor details of the project.

Reid Tulley can be reached at 970-887-3334