Yonkers firefighters ask court to block Lowe's until new firehouse is built

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The union wants the state Supreme Court to halt the opening of a new Lowe's home improvement store at Ridge Hill until either the new firehouse is built or there is a firm timetable for building it.

 

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/yonkers/2016/11/09/block-new-lowes/93483190/

[EMSLt 27]

I don't understand.....why can't they build a new Station 1 AND a station at Ridge Hill at the same time??

[fire patrol nyc 153]

Because it's Yonkers, the domain of king Mike....

[61MACKBR1 222]

Forrest City Ratner, the developer of the Ridge Hill Property, agreed to and a provision written into the Final Agreement, when they purchased the Ridge Hill Property from the City of Yonkers, that $3 Million Dollars would be set aside for the construction of a New Fire House, to be located at or around the New Ridge Hill Complex. Where this $3 Million Dollars currently resides, is anyone's question. One of the first concepts was to build this New Fire Station, and 'possibly' relocate Engine 310 to be housed in this new station (New Station 10), along with a newly commissioned Ladder Company (Ladder 76) at this new facility (there was also talk that the city would then transform the current/existing Station 10 on Saw Mill River Road, into the YFD Fire Museum). Then, back in 2011, the City (Former Mayor Amicone's Office) indicated that the city was currently looking for a suitable property to locate this new fire station (the King Fence property at the base of Ridge Hill, was, at the time, the front runner, to be the site of this New Fire Station. Since that time, nothing has happened on this front, despite continued new development being built at or around the Ridge Hill Complex. Then the city was complaining that while a new fire house could be built, the city didn't have the funding to provide the increase in manpower needed to have a New Ladder Company [76] commissioned at housed at this new station, thus the so-called reason for the stalling.  (Yes - all of the new construction, was and is being built to the highest of Fire Prevention Codes and with State of the Art Sprinkler Systems and Building Materials.. HOWEVER, you have to factor in First Responder Medical Assist Calls at or around the Ridge Hill Complex, that taxes the manpower and response of the YFD. Also, if an automatic alarm just happens to go off at one of the buildings on or around Ridge Hill, YFD normally sends out a Full Response to such alarms. What happens if a call (Could be fire related, could be a First Responder/Medical Assist Call) comes in somewhere nearby? What will the response times be for those types of calls. The Mayor and Commissioner Sweeney can cite response times since Ridge Hill has been in place, until the cows come home. They cannot say that it hasn't impacted response times, because we all know it has. Now we are at a point in November of 2016, where Local 628 IAFF is now suing the City of Yonkers, to block the issue of a building permit for the New Lowes Department Store, demanding the city provide a permanent answer to the status of this New Fire Station at Ridge Hill.

 

In addition to all of this, we have the issue of the City of Yonkers apparently dragging its feet, as it relates to the construction of a New Yonkers Fire Station 1/YFD Headquarters around the Chicken Island Area. Commissioner Sweeney's comment that the city does need to build a New Fire Station, but not necessarily at Ridge Hill, but rather to replace Station 1. Well Commissioner Sweeney, the Ridge Hill Developer, Forrest City Ratner is NOT going to give you the so called $3 Million Dollars allegedly set aside for the construction of a New Fire House at Ridge Hill, to help the city build a New Station 1 on the West Side of the City. Mayor Spano in a press conference in the Summer of 2015, indicated that bid requests would go out an da bid awarded in the Fall of 2015, to begin construction of the New Station 1. Well, again, we are now in November of 2016, and still no New Station 1 in sight. The city was toying with the idea that the New Station 1, would be placed in the "Hollows" at the site of the old Longfellow Junior High School. Well, that one never panned out. Now we are allegedly back to building it at the corner of Elm Street, Palisades Avenue and New School Street, but no bids to date, have been awarded. No architectural designs and renderings have been made public. Meanwhile, you have Rescue 1, housed across the street from Yonkers Raceway at Station 7 (which is better than having it housed at Station 8). But this piece of apparatus is best served to be housed on the West Side of Yonkers (since you have Squad 11, to be able to cover 'similar' needs on the East Side of Yonkers). 

 

Bottom line, is that if Mayor Spano and Commissioner Sweeney were smart, they would take advantage of resources being contracted by the city, and develop and design TWO NEW FIRE HOUSES, to be built at the same time. Use the $3 Million Dollars (plus hopefully interest accrued over time) to build a New Station 10, and use the funding that the city said it had to build a New Station 1 and let everyone move on.

Edited November 11, 2016 by 61MACKBR1