Bowmanstown Fire Department remains optimistic about a grant it applied for to assist it with the eventual construction of a new fire station.

Borough council briefly discussed the matter Tuesday one month after it ratified a resolution adopted March 12 authorizing submittal of a redevelopment assistance capital budget program grant for the fire company.

The grant the fire company applied for had a deadline of March 31, so council adopted the resolution to accompany the grant application.

Contacted this morning, borough fire Chief Michael Spairana Jr. explained where the situation with the grant stood.

“We thought that we could jump on that this year, and we found out that we had to be put on the capital budget list before we can even apply for that RACP grant, so we put the cart in front of the horse and we got nowhere,” Spairana said. “We weren’t eligible because we weren’t on the list to be looked at.”

Spairana said that prompted the fire department to reach out to state Rep. Doyle Heffley.

“And he’s going to put us on the list whenever that list opening opens up,” he said. “It’s a step-by-step process and it’s definitely a learning curve on our part; it has not been denied, we were going to and found out we couldn’t because we weren’t put on that list.”

Spairana added, “we’re still in the planning development stage.”

“The only grant we have applied for so far to help fund this is the Monroe County LSA grant; we haven’t heard back from that yet,” he said. “Grants of this magnitude, projects of this magnitude, takes times and diligence; I don’t expect to see positive results on grants the first time applying,

“I expect this project is going to take two, three years before we see anything; four years is not unheard of. It’s a process.”

In October, council granted the fire company approval to apply for a Local Share Assessment fund grant to build a new fire station.

Before that vote, council President William Ravert said his concern was that the borough also relies on LSA funding for its road projects.

Project engineer Eric Snyder, who assisted in the grant application writing, attended September’s special public workshop meeting due to filing application deadlines for an LSA fund grant.

In September, the fire company requested council’s approval to apply for an LSA grant to build a new fire station with the possibility of an attached social hall.

The proposed plan would be for the new station to be located above the picnic grove on Lime Street.

The existing fire station would be torn down and made into a parking lot.

Keystone Construction would be completing the work, led by Snyder.

The estimated cost of the project is between $1.5 million and $1.6 million, and wouldn’t reach completion for about three to five years.

Snyder told council the plan is to build one large fire station, and to apply for an LSA grant to fund the entire project.

In the event they don’t get the first round of LSA funding, Snyder said the plan would be to apply for a Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant.

Spairana previously said the fire company doesn’t have enough storage room.

Mayor Zach Snyder said at the time his concern is that the borough also relies on LSA funding for its road projects.

Spairana reiterated that the fire company would not go forward with a new fire station unless it receives 100% funding.