This weekend, the Mattydale Fire Department will welcome members of the community to its brand-new firehouse.

From 12 to 3 p.m. Sunday May 18, the department will hold an open house and Community Appreciation Day at its new facility on Molloy Road. They’ll also dedicate the new building in a ceremony to take place at 2 p.m.

The event is meant as a thank-you to the community that supported the $2.5 million renovation, according to Lee Whitehead, secretary-treasurer of the department.

“It took two times [going before the voters] to get approval, but they went with us,” Whitehead said. “They agreed that we needed it. We want to do this to say thank you to them for that, and to share the new facility with the community.”

Whitehead said that the new facility will feature numerous amenities, including bay space for vehicles from the North Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps (NAVAC) and the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Department.

“We’re really excited about that,” Whitehead said. “Now we’ll be able to give the people we serve 24/7 access to a full range of emergency services.”

The new building, which took 18 months to complete, replaces a station built in 1939. It includes a meeting room, exercise facilities for firemen and bunk rooms so that there is space in case someone is needed during the overnight hours. The all-volunteer department serves about 6,000 people living within a two-square-mile area, covering from the city line to the south to Hinsdale Road to the north.

“We’re really excited about the station,” Whitehead said. “It turned out really fabulous.”

Whitehead said the department is really looking forward to sharing the facility with the community the department serves. The Community Appreciation Day will include food and beverages, games, demonstrations, tours of the firehouse and more.

For more information, contact the department at 454-0090.