Hose Team Steamer Project May Match Drive; Local donor to match up to $20,000 for Steam Fire Engine Project

A local couple has pledged up to $20,000 in matching funds for the Owego Hose Team’s Steam Fire Engine and Steamer House project underway in the Village of Owego. 

Lisa and Dennis Curatolo are making the donation in loving memory of Kay and Marv Potter who had a passion for honoring and preserving Owego’s history. All funds raised for the project between now and the end of May will be matched in what the Hose Team has coined its “May Match Drive.” Contributions can be made on the Hose Team website at www.OwegoHoseTeams.com or by check to 461 East Main Street, Owego in care of the Steamer project. 

“Our first responders meant a great deal to Kay and Marv, and to me as well,” said Lisa Curatolo. “What the volunteers do for our community is incredible.” 

She added, “This matching contribution carries on the Potter’s legacy and will hopefully encourage others to continue giving to our community like they did for so many years.”  

Kay and Marv Potter were past owners and operators of Owego Associates, Inc. comprised of the Owego Treadway Inn, the Holiday Inn Express, Owego, and the Hampton Inn, Owego. Marv served proudly as a board member to the Tioga County Historical Society before his passing.

Since 2020, Owego Hose Teams, Inc. has been raising funds to restore the Owego Fire Department’s 1866 Amoskeag Steam Fire Engine and build it a “Steamer House” on North Avenue next to Owego Fire Station #2. The 157-year-old fire engine, known as the “Steamer”, has not been operational since the late 1980s. 

In 1987 the Steamer was the oldest licensed operating steam fire engine in the United States. Firefly Restorations in Hope, Maine is nearing completion of its restoration and the Steamer House building could be constructed this summer, funding dependent. 

“We appreciate the generous donation from Lisa and Dennis, and encourage the community to participate in our ‘May Match Drive’ to help us bring this project to closure,” said Hose Team volunteer Patrick Gavin. 

Significant funding for the project has also been secured from the Fannie C. Hyde Charitable Trust, Mildred Faulkner Truman Foundation, Les Wagner Foundation, William G. Pomeroy Foundation, and the Floyd Hooker Foundation.  To date, $148,644 has been expended on the project with an overall cost estimate of $300,000.

Individuals can contribute to the project by participating in the Hose Team’s “Steam Booster” donor program. For a $100 tax-deductible contribution, name(s) will be placed on a cast iron bronze plaque that will proudly hang on the Steamer House building. Donors can also purchase “bell stock” supporting the installation of the Central Fire Station Bell in the Steamer House and benches that will surround the building. 

Information on all fundraisers can be found at the Hose Team’s website, www.OwegoHoseTeams.com.