Rugby Volunteer Fire Chief David Schneibel said the department is looking for a strong fundraising push in the last third of the year in the hopes of starting construction on a new fire hall in the spring.

So far, fundraising efforts have garnered more than $277,000. And while Schneibel said the department is thankful for the generosity of donors, it still needs to raise around $700,000 to complete the project and more than $200,000 before the job can be bid.

“Right now our goal is to hit the $500,000 mark,” Schneibel said. “If we can do that, we’re going to release the bid specifications in February with construction hopefully starting in the spring, probably the April/May timeframe.”

The department has already secured land for the building in town along Highway 3.

The new building should provide the needed room for vehicles and equipment which are jammed into the current firehall and allow for better access to fires.

“The new building is needed to spread out the equipment that we’ve got so we can access what we need when we need it and not have to move a bunch of vehicles,” Schneibel said. “Being on the highway will give us better response time.”

Aside from the funds already raised, Schneibel and Mayor Dave Cichos have applied for a number of grants. Schneibel said he knows of grant applications out to the Bremer Foundation, Farm Credit Services Foundation, North Dakota Community Foundation, Burlington Northern and Enbridge and said the mayor may be working on more.

“Just the ones that I’ve did, we’ve asked for around $365,000,” he said.

The fire department not only covers Pierce County, but parts of Benson, McHenry and Rolette Counties as well.

The department is also continuing to do a number of small fundraisers like its annual gun raffle, which is Oct. 26 at the Eagles with tickets available for purchase from any firefighter.