Brian Hubert
Daily Freeman, Kingston, N.Y.
(TNS)
KINGSTON, N.Y. — The Common Council unanimously approved, without discussion, a new six-year lease with the Volunteer Fireman’s Hall and Museum for the continued use of the city’s historic Wiltwyck Fire Station at 265 Fair St.
The lease, which was approved Tuesday, March 4, between the non-profit museum and the city is for $1.
In a letter to the Common Council, City Planning Director Sue Cahill said the city was looking at applying for a grant with a time element, and the application requires demonstrating “a valid lease for the premises.”
Cahill also said a prior lease agreement had expired, and it was “in the best interest of the city and the organization to renew the arrangement to set forth responsibilities and minimize liabilities.”
The museum, in operation since 1982, exhibits artifacts related to the history of firefighting in the city going back to 1661. The collection features antique fire engines, including a 1956 American LaFrance and a 1934 Sanford, both of which are retired Kingston Fire Department trucks. The firetrucks are fixtures in parades and other events in the city, like the Uptown Snowflake Festival.
Other items in the collection include a wide range of firefighting-related artifacts. They range from vintage gear and helmets worn by firefighters to a working example of the fire alarm boxes once found on the streets and exteriors of large buildings throughout the city.
The museum also hosts the annual Antique Fire Engine Muster, which brings several antique, vintage and modern fire engines and emergency vehicles to the section of Fair Street near the museum each August.
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