Center recalls firefighter history

After almost a year of vacancy, the former VFW Post 2280 building in Bellevue is getting a breath of new life.

The governing body of the Bellevue Volunteer Fire Department, BVFD Inc., has purchased the 55-year-old building and plans to turn it into a rental hall and history center.

“We want to preserve the history and heritage of the volunteer firefighters in this area,” said BVFD President John Westcott.

The final design is still up in the air, Westcott said, but historical photos of the Fire Department and events in its history will be prominently displayed.

He also said the former VFW building, at 2108 Franklin St., will not be run as a bar or restaurant as it once was but instead will be available to rent for functions.

Westcott said BVFD members have been working to clean up and repair the interior of the building for the past couple of weeks. So far, members have torn out carpeting, cleaned walls and taken out ceiling tiles and are updating electrical equipment and fire alarms.

Westcott said here is no time line for the building to reopen.

“We want to make sure the place is looking nice before we show it to anyone,” Westcott said.

Great Western Bank foreclosed on the building in December 2008 after Post 2280 fell more than $40,000 in debt and could not continue its mortgage payments. According to the county assessor's Web site, the building was purchased by H&S Partnership LLP in May 2009 for $200,000 and then sold to BVFD in October for $150,000.