The campaign to raise $250,000 to help the Ogdensburg Volunteer Rescue Squad move to a larger building has so far raised $15,000 in donations, but a more expanded fundraising effort is about to begin, and squad officials are confident of moving in by late December or early January.

Squad fundraising committee chairwoman Rosemary Lovely said Friday that the squad’s next step in the campaign will be to mail 20,000 letters of appeal to residents and businesses throughout the Ogdensburg area and elsewhere in St. Lawrence County. Fire departments and rescue squads across the state will also be asked to make a donation.

The squad’s plan is to move from its current rented headquarters at 101 State St. to the former Hacketts Hardware store at 1223 Pickering St. Its $740,000 purchase of the building is expected to be final soon.

“We plan to close in two to three weeks,” said Squad Director of Operations Kenneth J. Gardner.

By that time also, according to Mr. Gardner, the squad expects to have hired contractors — general, electrical plumbing and heating/ventilation/air conditioning — for the project.

The $250,000 goal is actually a combination of donations and the squad’s own resources. Officials concede that a sluggish economy is not the most encouraging backdrop for an ambitious fundraiser.

“It’s a very tough time for everybody,” Mrs. Lovely said.

The squad’s lease on its current facility expires at the end of 2013.

The plan is for the squad to use 24,000 square feet of the new building and rent the rest as office space.

The donation levels for what the squad calls “The Hands of Time” campaign are: general donation - under $60; memorial garden brick - $60; entry way column block - $600; Clock Tower Club - a single $6,000 donation to help pay off the loan and reduce the need for annual fund raisers; naming opportunities (building rooms and features) - $6,000 to $36,000.

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