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After Brandywine Fire Department representatives opposed moving to a planned new station a mile away, Prince George's County officials have agreed to compromise by allowing the department to continue using the existing station's hall even if the new station is built.

Acting Fire Chief Eugene Jones said Monday the county has sent the agreement to the Brandywine Fire Station and is awaiting a reply. Jeff Beavers, the station's president, said he is unsure whether his department will accept.

The agreement would allow the current station to continue using its hall, which Beavers said serves as a bridge to the surrounding community, and the county would cover the costs of utilities in the hall for five years. All fire and EMS operations would move to the new station, which would not include a hall, Jones said.

However, Beavers said even though keeping the hall open would be an important step toward compromise, his department would rather stay in its current location, instead of moving further away from the rural tier, which has less access to other fire departments.

Mark Brady, spokesman for the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department, said Wednesday that funding has been allocated for the new $3 million to $4 million station in the county's Capital Improvement Plan budget, and the project will proceed "barring unforeseen circumstances." Brady said repairing the old station would cost about $3 million.

Even though repairing the old station could be cheaper than building a new station, Jones said relocating would improve the department's response to some of the busier areas closer to Clinton.

The new station, which Jones said should be completed by September 2012, would sit on two acres at 13809 Brandywine Road, about a mile from the existing station, which is across from Gwynn Park High School.

The new station would be slightly closer than the current station to the developed and developing areas in Brandywine, although slightly further from Aquasco and Baden, and it would be able to house more firefighters than the 12 who bunk at the existing station, Jones said.

Beavers said Tuesday that while the Brandywine Fire Department has not made any decision regarding the agreement, the department would still prefer to restore their current station to minimize response time to the rural tier.

"We are keeping a very open mind about it," Beavers said. "[The county is] saying the move is beneficial because it is getting us closer to Clinton and high-dollar homes. But we believe the demand for service will go up on the other side," he said of the rural tier areas, such as Baden and Aquasco.

Beavers said that for now the department will continue to explore other options, such as finding grant money to fix the old station with no or less cost to the county, or working with the county to come up with a solution.

"[Jones] has been outstanding in working with us," Beavers said. "And they are exploring all the options to keep Brandywine a viable department."