A new firehouse has been proposed for Greenport Village to replace an aging building that fire wardens say faces a number of debilitating issues, including termites and profusive leaking during storms.
Coincidentally, rain dripped steadily into the meeting room at the Third Street Firehouse at the work session, during which the fire wardens presented a number of options for the board to consider.
“No matter what, we will have to replace the building eventually,” said Greenport Fire Chief Harry Breese. “The floors are rotten, we have termites.”
Although three scenarios were presented, Breese said the first two were “band-aids”; the “smartest” option, he said, would be to tear down the existing building and create a new firehouse, for a cost of approximately $7.1 million; with all costs, including engineering and construction, the total would be approximately $13 million, he said.
The new building would be 12,500 square feet and would sit in the same location on Third Street, Breese said.
While no specifics such as number of bays was presented at the meeting, the goal is to create a new building that will meet the needs of the fire department years down the line, Breese said.
Deputy Mayor George Hubbard said the question would be how to pay for the new building; the fire department, he said, would need to pay the debt service out of its own budget. Although the fire department asked about going out for a public referendum, Hubbard said that wasn’t an option because the fire department budget is part of the village budget.
“To redo this building is $500,000 per year in debt service,” said Greenport Village Treasurer Robert Brandt. “That’s a big nut to carry.”
Hubbard also reminded if the current building was torn town, the fire department would be without space for a year. Breese said there is a back building and an alternate space would be found for the remaining two engines.
“The taxpayers would be paying for the next 30 years if we bonded through the village’s general fund,” Hubbard added. “The problem with the two percent tax cap, it will be very hard to sell a 50 percent tax increase to the public.”
Hubbard added that the village wants to work with the fire department to develop a plan and the means to finance the project.
“Eventually this place will have to be torn down. This place is 45 years old, we’re looking at 20 or 30 years down the road. It would be cheaper to replace it rather than putting a band aid on the problems,” Breese said. “It’s something that’s got to be done. Either we are going to be a fire department or we’re not.”
During a recent storm, there were standby men sitting on the bumpers of trucks, he said.
The board suggested pursuing grant options was one solution; if the fire department is a disaster center it could open the door for a number of grants, they pointed out.
“We’re not saying ‘no’ to the building,” Hubbard said. “We want your recommendations and to do the smart thing, but a 50 percent tax increase for a building is a hard sell to the public. We want to see what we can work out to make it work for everyone.”
Trustee Mary Bess Phillips agreed, saying the board was looking to the fire department to see what they wanted to do. She also suggested they look out to Suffolk County Legislators and other elected officials. “If we use this as an emergency center, you can be creative,” she said. “We just have to work for this in a way that won’t burden the taxpayers.”
Fire wardens reminded that the village also shared the space for public meetings.
Hubbard explained to the public that termites exist because the former building on the site was just buried beneath the current building, after it was demolished years ago.
The board agreed to examine options and continue to work with the fire department to find a solution.
