Canton Firehouse Building Committee Dissolved By Selectmen

CANTON, CT — The $5 million Canton Fire & EMS Department firehouse in Collinsville has been in operation since August and the new facility was dedicated in October.

But the Canton Board of Selectmen last week officially ended the project by dissolving the committee that had organized the construction of the new firehouse.

Selectmen unanimously voted on Dec. 11 to dissolve the Collinsville Fire/EMS House Project Committee.

While the committee's work has been done for months, last week's dissolution marked an important milestone in the journey and represented a coronation of a large community effort.

Selectmen and town officials thanked those who served on the committee for their efforts.

The town's new chief executive officer said the quality of work the committee did is clear in looking at the facility.

"I was only involved toward the very end of it and I saw the results and, obviously, the results speak for themselves," Canton Chief Administrative Officer Mark Penney said.

" I definitely thank the committee for doing what they did."

Local dignitaries Oct. 12 came out for the official dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new headquarters at 51 River Road.

The new facility in Collinsville replaces the former aging facility, which was built in 1971 and was considered old and antiquated.

In 2021, Canton voters approved the new firehouse project with a 2,061-834 vote during the November municipal elections that year.

On June 17, 2023, local and state dignitaries journeyed to Canton for the headquarters' groundbreaking ceremony.

In June of this year, town meeting voters nixed a proposal to give the old firehouse to the Canton School System for storage, so the old side will soon be torn down.

For the minutes of the Dec. 11 Canton Board of Selectmen meeting, click on this link.

To watch the Dec. 11 Canton Board of Selectmen meeting, click on this link.

From Oct. 17: 'New Canton Firehouse Was A Big Hit'