OBSERVER Photos by Braden Carmen Brocton Mayor Craig Miller hoped to discuss a potential merger between the Brocton and Portland fire departments. Those discussions will not progress.

PORTLAND — The village of Brocton was hopeful that a fire department merger with the Town of Portland could work out for both sides. The Portland Fire Department apparently doesn’t see it that way.

Following Brocton’s expressed interest in a merger, the Portland Fire Department shot down the idea in recent discussions with the Town of Portland. Town Supervisor Rich Lewis told the OBSERVER that a potential merger will not be moving forward.

Brocton Mayor Craig Miller, a member of the Brocton Fire Department, spoke on the matter following a meeting of the Village Board last month. He stated that talks at that point were early in the process, but at that point, he was hopeful that all parties involved could find common ground.

For a merger to proceed, three groups would all need to agree — the Brocton Village Board, the Portland Town Board, and the Commissioners that govern the Portland Fire Department. While Brocton appeared to be on board, and Lewis was open to the idea progressing for further discussion, members of the Portland Fire Department were not interested in moving forward.

The idea of merging Brocton and Portland Fire Departments came up in the past, but did not gain much traction. Portland is not alone in wanting to keep its department separate from its neighbor, as the Town of Hanover recently discussed merging five fire departments that serve the Town into one all encompassing district. Three of those five departments opposed the proposal — Forestville, Irving, and Hanover Center.

With Portland not interested in a merger, the Village of Brocton will now be tasked with addressing several issues, such as enrollment and the condition of the Brocton Fire Hall. The Village received an engineering report from CPL: Architecture-Engineering-Planning that highlighted the need for significant improvements, but the Village’s last major grant funding proposal was not selected.

The next meeting of the Brocton Village Board is Wednesday.