Lack of public funding did not stop the Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department from building its new facility in Stevensville, Md. Through fund-raising efforts and working with two local banks to secure a loan, the department built a 27,274-square-foot facility for just under $5 million. 

Volunteers sold room-naming rights collected donations through spare-change bottles at retailers, vehicle auctions and buy-a-brick campaigns. These efforts raised public awareness of the department's need for a new facility to meet the needs of the growing community.

The department sold several acres of property to a medical center/urgent-care facility. This allowed the department to share parking, water, sewer and storm upgrades that it could not afford on its own and minimized environmental impact.

The facility was designed by Pacheco Ross Architects, P.C. & Mitchell Ross Associates Architects, P.C. “We worked with Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department for over five years on everything from the site selection to post-occupancy support,” said David Pacheco, AIA.

According to Pacheco, one of the most challenging aspects of the project was the fact that it’s on an island. “With an island department that must have all resources in-house, finding, configuring and preparing a site suitable for all their needs was most challenging,” he said. 

The facility includes a community room for volunteer events and four classrooms that can be converted into banquet space for operational rental income. Local hotels without available space promote the facility as an option for large meetings.

The building is designed as a shelter and emergency operations center with operational storm shutters and missile-impact-resistant glass against hurricanes. In a unique trade-off, the police department has exchanged day-shift occupancy for cleaning services.