NWP Firehouse vote set

[x635 4,066]

From www.nyjournalnews.com

Firehouse vote set

By RICHARD LIEBSON  

THE JOURNAL NEWS  

(Original publication: December 9, 2003)

Residents of the North White Plains fire district are scheduled to vote this evening on a scaled-back firehouse renovation project that eliminates one floor from the original plan for a three-story addition and cuts $700,000 from the cost.  

The revised proposal, which seeks permission to borrow $2.8 million, comes after a referendum on the original plan was defeated in June by 55 votes.  

"We had to sacrifice some things we feel we need, but this does cut the cost by 20 percent and will at least bring the building up to code,'' said John Soloman, chairman of the District 1 Board of Fire Commissioners.  

District 1 covers the southern part of North Castle, known as North White Plains — an area of about 2.5 square miles which is home to about 1,000 households and 200 businesses. The firehouse on North Broadway was built in 1931 and is in poor shape with a crumbling outside wall, a leaky roof and a lack of storage and office space. Fire officials say the department's 45 volunteers don't have enough room for equipment or training.  

The revised plan calls for the building to be repaired and brought up to standards, and for the construction of a two-story addition. The boiler, which was purchased when the firehouse was built, would also be replaced. An exercise room and locker rooms with showers included in the original plan have been eliminated, and some of the office and training space has been moved and reconfigured in the new plan, Soloman said.  

If approved, North White Plains property owners would pay an additional $17.59 per $1,000 of assessed value annually over the 15-year life of the bond. For the average homeowner whose property is assessed at $10,000, the bond would cost an extra $175.90 a year for 15 years.  

"We really need to do this,'' Soloman said. "Residents have been getting fire protection at an extremely reasonable cost for decades, but time has caught up with our firehouse. If we don't take care of it now, it will only get worse.''  

North White Plains residents 18 and older are eligible to vote from 6 to 9 p.m. at the firehouse, 621 N. Broadway.  

Good luck guys. I don't see what NWP citizens problems are, You guys sacrifice enough for these people without having to sacrifice even more. If Armonk, also in North Castle, can get that fully loaded new firehouse, then it is ridiculous that you have to cut showers,excercise, and other features out, feratures that are becoming standards for most modern firehouses. It seems like these people want fire department when they need them but dont want to pay anything for it, something, along with the "not in my backyard " syndrome, that is becoming commonly detrimental to FD's and EMS in Westchester.

[chris498 31]

I hope N. Wh. Plains gets the vote to go forward with this project, god you guys deserve it. Best of luck to all!

[FFD260 1]

GOOD LUCK NWFD