Rockville Centre Fire Department makes its pitch

On the June 21 village election ballot, residents may have to decide whether a $21 million capital project to rehabilitate two firehouses is worth the money.

Ex-Fire Chief Gary Kondor and Ronald Lanner, an architect from the H2M architectural and engineering company in Melville, presented the proposed renovation plan to the Board of Trustees at Village Hall on March 24.

The plan calls for the redesign of the facilities, at 58 N. Centre Ave. and 103 Maple Ave. The firehouse on North Centre Avenue was built in 1949 and has deteriorated since alterations were last made in 1982. Its roof, windows and doors are in need of replacement, and its electricity, gas and water systems are at maximum capacity, Lanner told trustees. Additionally, there is little bunker space in which firefighters don their equipment, and the building lacks accessibility for the disabled.

Lanner proposed a renovation project that would update the building’s layout by reusing the existing structure and adding an 8,000-square-foot, two-story building that includes a basement. “The desire is to provide durable constructive materials so the building can last for another 50 years,” he said.

The facility on Maple Avenue, built in 1963, is also in poor condition, Lanner said. It is in need of a completely new structural system, which Lanner told trustees was in a more precarious state than that of the Centre Avenue firehouse.

Lanner told the board that the gas and water systems at Maple Avenue were undersized and that the doors, windows and lower roof need to be replaced. Like the other firehouse, this one lacks bunker space and accessibility for the disabled.

The department is proposing to re-site and rebuild the Maple Avenue firehouse. “We realize this is a rather large project to undertake,” said Kondor, adding that the department was willing to pay the expenses over five years. The plan is as follows:

n In 2012, the department would borrow $1 million for a 15-year bond for plans and designs for both sites, at no cost to villagers.

n In 2013, the department would borrow $11.8 million for a 25-year bond, at a cost of $12.62 per village household.

n In 2014, it would borrow $600,000 for a 10-year bond at a cost of $110.65 per household.

n In 2015, it would borrow $7.7 million for a 25-year bond at a cost of $7.63 per household.

n In 2016, the department would finish the project, at a cost of $69.83 per household.

Over the proposed time span, the total cost to each household would be $200.73.

“It will have to be one house at a time,” said Kondor. He said that the Maple Avenue facility would be the first project, followed by the North Centre Avenue building, and that he hopes construction can begin in 2013 and finish in 2014. Work on the North Centre Avenue facility would start in 2015 and end in 2016.

In the meantime, the board will have to review the bond proposal and vote on it at a later date. If it is passed, it will be added to the June ballot and placed as a referendum.

“This presentation is part of an ongoing dialogue …” said Mayor Mary Bossart. “This is a very large sum of money.”

For more details about the proposal, visit www.rvcny.us and click on the Fire Department Bond Proposal link.

Comments about this story? TSteinert@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 282.