When a fire truck comes screaming out of the Glyndon station garage with sirens blaring, there?s not much time ? or room ? to spare.
Less than an inch, to be exact.
“The doors were built for the vehicles manufactured in 1954,” said Calvin Reter, a longtime volunteer fireman. “We?ve not only outgrown this firehouse, the equipment has outgrown it.”
But as the fire company plans its expansion, members want to raze an adjacent vacant Victorian-era home that historical preservationists want to save. The interests came to a head Tuesday night at a tense meeting in the 51-year-old station, where some fire supporters attacked preservationists for putting history before safety.
Jonathan Van Hoven called the house a “worthless drag on the fire department.”
“You?re talking about preserving a building at the cost of someone?s life,” Van Hoven said. “To risk someone?s life over a facade is ludicrous.”
But some area preservationists said expansion is possible without demolishing the house, which is just outside Baltimore County?s first-ever historic district. Marty Clements, president of Historic Glyndon Inc., said the department has room in the back and side to expand, or could renovate the house for recreational space and offices.
The debate, she said, has spanned three years.
“Of course we want fire protection,” Clements said. “It just seems like there should be a way to incorporate what?s special about Glyndon in the new expansion.”
The all-volunteer department receives 1,000 calls for service a year in portions of Glyndon, Owings Mills and Reisterstown, including 16 community associations.
Fire Chief Scott Warner said the company doesn?t want to plan details until it receives the community?s support.
What?s Next
The county?s landmarks preservation commission will holda hearing on the proposed demolition at 6 p.m. Oct. 11 in Towson.
