Voters in Caton struck down a $2.8 million dollar fire company improvement project. Doris Maxwell, the President of the Caton Volunteer Fire Company said, "If this volunteer fire department does close then the town is going to have to absorb the services, it should provide fire protection for the residents thus that means their taxes will definitely increase a lot more than 98 cents per thousand that this building would have provided."
Officials say the current structure was built in 1957 and is in need of more than just a few repairs. From cracked walls and collapsing ceilings, to no training space and barely enough room to fit the trucks, the project would pave the way for future generations of volunteers.
"With our trucks they way their sitting, we can't do anything inside with the trucks. If we have to put any hose or anything on top of the trucks, the trucks have to go outside. We have literally between 4 to 6 inches of space between the top of the trucks and the ceiling of the building," explains Assistant Fire Chief, Joseph OBrian.