NORWICH – The Chenango County Bureau of Fire has entered phase one of an environmental study that may lead to improvements to the county’s fire training center in Norwich.

The property where the fire training center is located on Hale Street on the east side of the city has been leased to the county by the City of Norwich for as little as a $1 per year since the 1960s. With the most recent lease renewal expired and hopes of making facility upgrades in the not so distant future, County Fire Coordinator Matthew Beckwith is urging county officials to finally consider taking ownership of the property.

Beckwith has been in negotiations with city officials to have the deed signed over to the county at very little or possibly no cost. The longterm goal, he said, is to have flexibility for improvements which would include the ability to construct a new burn building and other minor structures.

“To make those changes, we would have to own the property. And before we own the property, we want to make sure there’s no environmental concerns that are preexisting on the property,” Beckwith explained at a meeting of the Chenango County Safety and Rules Committee on Wednesday.