BY JACQUELINE STOUGHTON REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

After about eight years in the planning phase, renovation of the the Terryville Volunteer Fire Department’s firehouse is finally nearing completion and is expected to be done next month.

“We’re about 85 percent done,” Fire Chief Mark Sekorski said. “We’re just doing the finishing touches now and plan on being done by the middle of June.”

Sekorski said workers from Burlington Construction of Torrington are finishing up the interior flooring, lighting, painting and some brick work, along with some last-minute items to be adjusted before the originally projected July 4 date_

“It’s right on schedule and right on budget,” Sekorski said.

The $3.75 million project is funded by the $6.95 million bond package that was passed by residents in a 2016 referendum.

The new building will total 10,000 square feet, with the addition of a 7,000-square-foot extension behind the existing 3,000-square-foot firehouse, which was originally built in 1965.

The new firehouse will include a training center and full kitchen that can be used as an emergency shelter, offices, sleeping areas and a workout room. It will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act

“It’s a great feeling to be almost done with this,” Sekorski said. “It’s a great asset to the town. The Plymouth side of town never had an emergency shelter, when we had all those hurricanes one year we had to transport people to the middle school. Now people on this side of town will have somewhere safe to go if there’s another weather emergency. This is a wonderful asset to the town.”