Lansford's 106-year-old fire house at 26 E. Patterson St. is coming down.

Borough council at a public meeting Wednesday voted 6-1 to allow the American Fire Co. No. 1 to tear down the structure and put up a pole building to house its trucks, equipment and offices.Council members Tommy Vadyak, Lenny Kovach, Danielle Smith, Samantha Yasson, Andrew Snyder and President Rose Mary Cannon voted in favor. Councilwoman Mary Kruczek was opposed.The fire company provided figures to show the costs of renovation versus demolition and rebuilding.Refurbishing would cost about $350,000, not including structural repairs estimated at $10,000, electrical work estimated at $50,000, heating/air conditioning, and garage doors. The company would also need to address sinking engine bay floors, a crumbling basement, and the failing mesh that holds up the floor.Demolition and new construction would cost about $99,000 to tear down the building and $150,000 to put up a 55-foot by 80-foot, two-story structure that would include three bays, an office, a classroom/meeting room/crew quarters, a social room and a kitchen.The estimated cost does not include plumbing, the concrete floor/foundation, flooring, bathrooms, showers, electrical, heating/air conditioning, lighting fixtures, and refitting the Plymovent (an air cleaner), the oil burner, kitchen and house siren.Cannon said she had mixed feelings about the demolition, citing the historic nature of the building and the borough's recent investment of a new roof, a new boiler system and mold remediation. The borough owns the building.However, she said the borough had to "move forward immediately" so as not to lose the $265,000 state grant that will help pay for the project. Some of that money, she said, could also be used to build a handicapped accessibility ramp at the community center, which now houses the borough offices.The borough moved the office from above the fire station in January because of ongoing mold problems.The vote followed Cannon's public reading of a July 27 letter from the fire company.In the letter, fire officers said they have been advocating to update the building, with council's help. To that end, they sought estimates for renovation, and for razing it and putting up a pole building in its place."After reviewing the quotes received, it is evident that new construction would be more cost effective," they wrote. "Not only will the new building be up to code, but the facility will be able to accommodate larger apparatus and associated equipment needs."Also, the life span of the building will be significantly longer than the present building's life span. It should be noted that any recent updates to the building will be transferred to the new structure as a cost-saving measure," they wrote.The fire company intends to apply for a low-interest U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Facilities Loan to offset matching fund requirements of the grant, which was obtained by former assistant borough secretary Karen Burell.