MAYNARD — After more than 50 years of service, the Maynard Volunteer Fire Department is closing its doors.

According to Colerain Township Trustee Jeff Gazdik, on Sunday afternoon Fire Chief Steve Clan met with the other remaining members of the department and officially decided to close the department for good. They cited the lack of volunteers and funds as reasons for the move.

Gazdik noted that at the beginning of the year, the trustees discussed their fire contract with Clan, who informed them that the department probably wouldn’t be open much longer. Still, Gazdik said it is a sad development for the community.

“I hate to see anytime a department has to close their doors,” Gazdik said, adding that he and other trustees want to thank all the current and former members of the department for their dedication and service.

Gazdik said when the department first opened around 1950, Maynard was a booming village with a larger population than it has now and many shops and businesses. In 2016, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population at 417 residents; in 1916, the population was more than 1,500.

With a larger population, Gazdik said, the community could afford to support a volunteer fire department. But eventually, the coal mines in the area closed and the population shrank and aged, making it hard for the department to survive.

“After the mines shut down and population went down, they still did the best for residents and served as best they could,” Gazdik said.

Gazdik said that the main areas served by the department were Colerain and Wheeling townships. Parts of those areas are also covered by the Cumberland Trail Fire District and the Barton Volunteer Fire Department, and he wants residents to know there should be no interruption in emergency services as a result of the closure.

The Maynard and Cumberland Trail departments are holding a meeting today, along with township trustees, to discuss ways responders will continue to serve the area. Gazdik said liquidation of the Maynard VFD’s resources — including equipment, vehicles and the building — will be up to current members of the department. He urged anyone with concerns about the matter to contact their township trustees.