All-America City projects: Pocomoke City, Md.’s Pocomoke Volunteer Fire Department Fire Station
June 13, 2009 at 6:30 am by Matt Wiley
Photo: Pocomoke City Volunteer Fire Department
By Matt Wiley
CL intern
The next featured community in the National Civic League’s 2009 All-America City Awards (the conference convenes in Tampa next week) is Pocomoke City, Md.:
Pocomoke City, Maryland
Pocomoke Volunteer Fire Department Fire Station
The Pocomoke Volunteer Fire Department (PVFD) was originally founded in 1888, in 1939, the City obtained funds to build a new fire station designed to house three fire trucks and 30 volunteers. However, by 2002, with 60 members and 8 large trucks, the old fire station had become obsolete. At that point, the PVFD began a six-year collaboration with the community to construct a new fire station. In 2003, a PVFD planning committee investigated various options for a new fire station and, in 2004, the land was purchased. Working from a construction cost estimate of $2.1 million, the committee set a goal of raising $400,000 from residents and businesses, to be matched with grant assistance from the State. Within a few months, the committee had received donations and pledges in excess of their original goal. Volunteers worked with a local architect to complete the design for the new 16,500 square foot station. In March 2008, the PVFD ceremoniously marched down Market Street from their former home to their new $2.1 million fire station, the culmination of a six-year community-wide collaborative effort. The new modern fire station will serve the needs of the community for the next several decades.
Thirty cities, towns, neighborhoods and communities are vying for recognition as an All-America City at the June 16-18 conference at the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel. Each will give a short presentation on three public-private civic projects they undertook before a panel of judges names the best. Tampa is one of the finalists.
Former Tampa Mayor Sandy Freedman is the president of the National Civic League this year and a big proponent of these kinds of partnership projects. During her tenure, in 1990, Tampa was named an All-America City. Creative Loafing CEO Ben Eason is also involved, as a member of the Host Committee.
