By Jolene Farley
Last week Beaver Creek Township voters unanimously approved a trade of property between Beaver Creek Township and the city of Beaver Creek.
The current township building located on Main Street in Beaver Creek will be torn down at the townshipÕs expense and the city will build a new fire hall and city office facility on the property, according to Beaver Creek Mayor Al Blank.
In exchange for the title to the current township lot, Beaver Creek Township will receive the current city hall building and a vacant lot east of the building, where they plan to construct a new maintenance building.
Mayor Blank said the exchange was made "so we could facilitate a better arrangement for our fire hall."
The township will begin construction of its building in a few weeks, according to Blank.
The city plans to begin work on the new fire hall early next year. "We are hoping right when the weather breaks next spring," said Blank.
Until the swap is complete, the township and the city will share facilities. The township doesn't have many records to store so sharing the facilities shouldn't be a hardship, according to Blank.
Beaver Creek has been exploring the possibility of building a new fire hall for a few years.
An increase in mill rates approved by township voters provided $15,000 per year in added revenue for the project.