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Updated: 11 hours ago

Rumford seeks commercial tenant for 1924 fire station

A brick building has three garage doors. Photo / Courtesy Town of Rumford The town of Rumford is looking for a commercial tenant for its century-old former fire station.
By Laurie Schreiber

After relocating the Rumford Fire Department to a new facility a year ago, the select board is looking for a commercial tenant at the department’s former digs at 151 Congress St.

The board said the town’s former Central Fire Station, built in 1924, is well-maintained and prime for, say, a brewery or restaurant.

The board issued a request for lease proposals for the brick and stone building in the commercial district.  

Proposals for nonprofit use are the least preferred option and residential or industrial reuse will not be considered, according to a news release.

Proposals are due at 1 p.m. on Sept. 29.  

New station

The 5,800-population Oxford County town dedicated its new fire station to Peter Chase, a former deputy fire chief and Rumford select board member who passed away in 2022.

People stand in front of a buliding and cut a ribbon.
Photo / Courtesy Office of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins
The new fire station, at 61 Falmouth St., opened last fall.

The station, partially funded through $1 million in congressionally directed spending secured by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in the fiscal year 2022 omnibus appropriations package, includes two additional bays, additional clearance for trucks, a decontamination area and sleeping space for firefighters.

Former station

The former station is adjacent to the town hall and walking distance to a dense residential area. The first-floor configuration has a garage space with three 12-foot doors, lounge-kitchen room, separate office, storage room and half bathroom. 

The second floor has two offices, eight dorm-style rooms with two deep closets each, a large training room, a separate study-library, shower room, laundry room and bathroom. Many rooms have original doors, woodwork and light fixtures. The basement can be driven into from the building’s River Street side, and houses utilities and unfinished dry storage space. Each floor is approximately 3,000 square feet.  

Development boom

Rumford is undergoing a resurgence of residential and commercial development in its downtown area and beyond. 

Over the past four years, development  highlights have included a $7 million downtown infrastructure upgrade and the repurposing of a 64,000-square-foot building called the Bag Mill. In addition, the first phase of a 40-unit condominium development for Rumford’s Black Mountain ski resort is underway. A year ago, construction began on Rumford Senior Living, a multifamily housing development.

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