Officials with the Vigilant Hose Company in Emmitsburg expect this week to complete renovations to their station which have been in the works for about two years.

Tim Clarke, public information officer, and Frank Davis, president, gave me a tour of the station last week -- just as workers were putting the finishing touches on the renovations.

Five offices, storage areas and bunk rooms for up to 11 people are among the highlights in the more than 2,000 square feet added to the building.

In the late 1990s, the company bought an apartment building next door to its 25 W. Main St. location for about $130,000, Clarke said. The building, which is about 100 years old, was to be renovated to expand the station, which then was about 9,000 square feet.

After getting the station and vehicles paid off, the company decided to start the expansion.

"We felt it was a good time to start the project," Clarke said.

"It's a good feeling to be out of debt," Davis added.

Shortly after the process started in 2006, the company ran into problems.

The walls were not structurally sound and an engineer advised the company to just tear down the structure, Clarke said. Workers also found that a hand-dug well was creating a water problem in the building.

Once the workers got out of the basement, construction went more smoothly, Clarke said. Although several months behind schedule, the addition took shape.

When contractors did brickwork on the exterior, fire officials made sure it matched other buildings in the area.

"We wanted to make it look like downtown Emmitsburg," Davis said.

The project took longer than expected but both men said it was well worth it.

"We were very pleased with the results," Clarke said.

Company members are very excited about the expansion, they said.

The company put a call out in late January for members to help with odds and ends such as washing windows, moving furniture and hanging up pictures. Over 50 members showed up to work.

For the first time, officers will have offices. The fitness room is three times its former size, and volunteers will no longer have to cook shift meals in the station's commercial kitchen. They now have their own kitchen, along with an expanded lounge.

The station's board and meeting rooms were also remodeled.

The renovation cost about $1.7 million.

"We think we did a really good job planning for the future," Davis said.

They are still paying for the expansion, with fundraising events such as the annual golf tournament and a food booth at The Great Frederick Fair helping the cause.

"The community has always been a great support to the fire department," Clarke said.

The company is looking towards spring to host an open house so residents can see the newly expanded station.

Front	Front/Side	Bunk Room	Bunk Room
Bunk Room	Bath	Meeting Room	Board Room
Weight Room	Cardio Room	Attic	Attic
Dry Storage

ANNAPOLIS -- Frederick County volunteer fire companies are protesting a bill that would take away their ability to raise money through tip jar gaming.

Delegate Shane Pendergrass, a Democrat who represents Howard County, proposed the bill this week as the General Assembly convened in a special session to address the state's anticipated $1.5 billion deficit.

It would prevent Allegany, Frederick, Garrett and Washington counties from regulating the games, instead allowing tip jars only through the state lottery. In tip jar gaming, contestants pay for a chance to win cash prizes.

The House Ways and Means committee will hold a hearing on the bill today.

Pendergrass said she proposed the measure because every potential source of revenue should be examined as the state struggles for a solution to its fiscal woes. She believes state lottery sales suffer from people betting on tip jars instead of buying lottery tickets.

"Right now, my priority is making sure that we don't have to cut what we subsidize the counties," Pendergrass said.

Local firefighters say the games raise hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to buy needed emergency equipment. If they aren't allowed to include tip jar gaming, they'd likely turn to the county.

"If we don't have a funding sources to pay for buildings, to pay for apparatus, it would have to come out of the county coffers," said Chip Jewell, the Frederick County representative to the Maryland State Firemen's Association.

Delegate Rick Weldon, a Republican who represents Frederick County, said he doesn't think the bill will make it out of committee during the special session. But he does worry it could return in the future and stand a chance of passing.

"We should consider this a warm-up, because I guarantee it, if a slots referendum passes, there will be a whole series of bills to restrict other forms of gaming all over Maryland, including in Frederick County," Weldon said. "This is a good exercise, like a drill. This is coming back in January."

He urges residents to share their views with lawmakers, either through testifying at today's hearing or sending an e-mail or letter.

Pendergrass said she does not plan on bringing the legislation forward during the regular session, which begins in January, if it doesn't pass during special session. She thinks it should be directly linked to solving the state's deficit.

Weldon and other local delegates are lobbying Ways and Means Committee members against the bill because they believe tip jars are beneficial.

"There are a lot of really bad bills but I think I hate this one most of all," Weldon said. "It's simply intended to punish areas of the state that have typically supported Republican officials statewide and slots gaming locally."

Pendergrass denied those charges, saying the bill is not intended to punish anyone.

"We're not solving a partisan budget problem, we are solving a state budget problem," she said.

Frederick County's delegation has received at least 50 e-mails against the change, Weldon said.

Frederick County Commissioners President Jan Gardner said she is against the bill because it would hurt the county's fraternal organizations, nonprofit organizations and fire companies.

"I really do think it's inappropriate for someone from another county to put in a bill for counties they don't represent," Gardner said.

Delegate Paul Stull, a Republican representing Frederick and Carroll Counties, is a volunteer firefighter at Walkersville. Walkersville has been able to buy expensive imaging equipment and ambulances with proceeds from tip jars, he said.

"I think it's ridiculous, to tell the truth, and I'm going to do everything I possibly can to (ward it off) even getting out of committee," Stull said. "(Tip jars) do a whole lot of good without any problems, so why jump in and cause a whole lot of problems?"