By Nick Buglione
Just months after it opened, Station No. 1 was in desperate need of a new roof when it was revealed that the contractor who installed the first one had cut corners and did a sub-par job, according to East Meadow Fire Department Commissioner Robert Beck.
"Under the specifications, the workers were supposed to use 46 nails on every six inches of wood panel," Beck said. "We found that in places there were only 12."
Beck noted that the repair work will "cost the taxpayers absolutely nothing.
"We had a problem with the contractor," he said, adding that the department demanded that "either they fixed the roof and met the specifications of the architect, or we'd all be in court."
Work on the new roof was finished last week. "It's a whole brand new roof," Beck said. "Now we should have it for a hundred years."
The East Meadow Fire Department moved into the $2.8 million, 9,250-square-foot Station No. 1 last September, although it was initially hoped that it would be up and running months earlier. The department ran into problems in virtually every phase of the project, from planning to construction.
When department officials first presented the idea of a new firehouse to the public, they met staunch opposition. Citing parking concerns and apprehension over how the bond issue funding the construction would impact taxes, East Meadow residents were reluctant to back the proposal.
"People were worried about how much it would raise taxes," said Richard Cardozo, a long-time fire department volunteer and president of the Carman Community Association. "The people in the immediate area were scared about the noise and the increased activity."
Though it took some convincing, the community OK'd the proposal in a referendum.
Moving into the construction phase, weather and permit applications slowed down work. And when the work was done, some of it was of poor quality. Aside from problems with the roof, Beck previously told the Herald that the station's parking lot wasn't paved correctly.
Still, the new station has done much to improve the department's morale, and Beck hopes it will attract new members. Responding to 2,000 calls a year, the East Meadow Fire Department has about 250 volunteers.
The purchase of a new hook-and-ladder truck, which would have been too tall to fit into the department's headquarters at 197 East Meadow Ave., prompted construction of Station No. 1, at 346 East Meadow Ave.
Headquarters continues to house department ambulances and remains open as an emergency response unit for the neighborhood.
A formal ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the opening of Station No. 1 is slated to take place sometime this spring, Beck said.
