DARWIN — Residents of Bedford Township will get an opportunity to vote on a fire protection levy to pay for maintenance/utilities on a proposed fire station which would be a substation of the Pomeroy Volunteer Fire Department with 100 percent of the construction paid with a federal grant.

At this week’s meeting of Bedford Township Trustees, the trustees unanimously voted to place a three mil continuous fire protection levy on the May 4 ballot. If passed, the levy will generate approximately $45,963.36, according to Fiscal Officer Barbara Grueser.

The first of several upcoming informational meetings about the levy is scheduled for 7 p.m., Jan. 19 at the Hemlock Grange Hall. These meetings will allow residents to review the levy, ask questions of local officials, members of the Pomeroy Fire Department and possibly insurance representatives to discuss how a fire station within the township would affect their insurance premiums.

The Pomeroy Fire Department was one of only 200 entities in the country which received a highly competitive federal grant to build a new fire station in Bedford Township. The station will be approximately 7,500 square feet and house one fire truck. The grant is for $811,750 and will pay for 100 percent of the construction costs. The award is provided through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Assistance to Firefighters Station Construction Grants (ARRA-SCG) program as established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)/Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Once the building is built, if it is built, it will be owned by the Village of Pomeroy though it will be housed in and assist the residents of Bedford Township who will ultimately be the ones who pay for maintenance.

A joint-committee is being formed of both Bedford residents/officials and Pomeroy residents/officials/members of the Pomeroy Fire Department to come up with answers to questions and clear up any confusion about the project.