The Windham Town Council is considering the former Maine Cedar Log Homes manufacturing facility as a potential new home for the South Windham Fire Station.

The 15-year-old, 13,000-square-foot warehouse facility, located at 37 Main St. and owned by Anania Investments, has been used for storage since 2013, when Maine Cedar Log Homes closed.

According to a March 19 feasibility study by Portland-based SMRT Architects and Engineers, the pre-engineered metal building, if renovated, could suitably meet the needs of the Windham Fire-Rescue Department, which has outgrown the aging, 3,220-square-foot South Windham Fire Station at 8 Main St. The department has three other stations, in North Windham, Windham Center and East Windham.

On Tuesday, the Town Council met in executive session to discuss the possibility of either leasing or acquiring the facility, which is located in a 12-acre business park, also owned by Anania Investments. Peter Anania, a Windham resident and former town councilor, owns the firm. It oversees a number of high-tech businesses in Maine.

Although the council has not yet voted on the matter, an informal consensus appears to be that the council will explore the possibility of acquiring the facility, according to Chairman David Nadeau.

“We need to replace the South Windham Fire Station,” Nadeau said. “That’s probably only one of the places that you’re going to have available to you to put a fire station. There’s not much land available in South Windham. If you didn’t get that, you would probably have to try to look at something on River Road.”

Town officials say the 50-year-old South Windham station, located on a .35-acre property surrounded by the Presumpscot River, Route 202, and a residential apartment building, is too small and cannot be expanded enough to meet the needs of the fire-rescue department. When Anania approached town officials last year about using the property for municipal storage, he was told the town may be interested in a different use.

“I knew that the town was looking for storage space so I mentioned that,” Anania told the Lakes Region Weekly this week. “They said we’re also looking for a fire station.”

The town commissioned architect David Mains of SMRT to write a $6,800 feasibility study of the facility, which includes a 12,000-square-foot pre-engineered metal building and an adjoining log cabin show home. Mains projected that the town would need to spend between an estimated $401,000 and $777,000 to upgrade and modify the building and also meet regulatory requirements. The estimate did not include a projection of acquisition or leasing costs.

According to Mains, the facility would require $227,000 in investment for regulatory requirements, such as structural framing, apparatus bay doors and walls, and apparatus bay exhaust. Another $174,000 would be needed for required modifications, including a septic system upgrade, an emergency generator, an office ventilation system, and emergency lights, among other items. Finally, another $376,000 could be needed for staff area renovations, LED lighting upgrades, a training room, and apparatus bay support spaces, although these proposed upgrades are the lowest priority improvements, according to Mains.

Town Manager Tony Plante said that if the council decides to move operations to 37 Main St., it would make more sense to buy rather than lease the facility.

“I think the most likely outcome is it will be some form of purchase,” Plante said. “That’s my guess. For us to put several hundred thousand dollars into an asset the town doesn’t own is a little hard to justify.”

Fire-Rescue Chief Brent Libby said the existing station also poses problems for the three Southern Maine Community College students who live in the station during the school year. The students are trained firefighters and EMTs and usually provide first response when calls come in.

“The current building has no meeting or training space for the crews or the community, the crews quarters are extremely small and not sufficient for current use or future use,” Libby said.

Libby said the Maine Cedar Log Homes facility presents a “viable option” for a new facility.

The original fire station at 8 Main St. was constructed in 1934 and burned down three years later, Libby said. A new fire station was then constructed on that site, which was then replaced by the current structure in 1966. Windham and Gorham have shared space, equipment, and personnel at the South Windham Fire Station since 1934.

According to Plante, the council’s next move will likely be further discussions with Anania Investments.

“The next step for the council is to reach consensus on whether the building could feasibly be turned into a fire station,” Plante said. “We would have to begin negotiations with the property owner.”

Historian and retired Deputy Fire Chief Ernie Nichols has written about the history of the South Windham Fire Company.Windham is considering purchasing the former Maine Cedar Log Homes location in South Windham for use as a fire station.Staff photo by Ezra Silk