By: Patch, Michael Lemanski, Patch staff
The local fire department, along with town officials, managed to avoid any bad weather Saturday as they plunged shiny shovels into soft earth to build a new firehouse.
With a giant American flag hung by a ladder truck serving as a backdrop, the groundbreaking ceremony kickstarted a projct that will result in a modern firehouse for the Canton Volunteer Fire Department.
Needless to say, fire officials were pleased.
"A big thank you goes out to all that attended our official groundbreaking ceremony today," wrote the CVFD over the weekend on social media. "We are very excited to finally put the shovels in the ground, for our new fire and EMS headquarters."
The new facility will be at 51 River Road in Collinsville and it would replace the current facility, which was built in 1971 and is considered old and antiquated.
The Canton Board of Selectmen voted Jan. 25 to authorize Canton Chief Administrative Officer Robert Skinner to officially hire Bloomfield-based Millenium Builders to build the new facility at a cost "not to exceed $4.95 million."
In 2021, Canton voters approved the new firehouse project, which would be in the Collinsville section of town, with a 2,061-834 vote during the November municipal elections that year.