Holmdel Bell Works Firehouse Plan Off The Table

HOLMDEL, NJ — A proposed plan to open a new Holmdel fire station at Bell Works appears to be "dead on arrival" and officially off the table.

That's because the Holmdel Township Committee announced Tuesday morning they plan to issue a $5 million bond. Although nothing is set in stone, part of that money will go towards the renovation of the existing fire house on Crawfords Corner Road or the construction of a brand-new one. Holmdel would have to issue a bond (borrow the money) to pay for this $5 million expense.

"What we did this morning is allocate $5 million in the budget. We do not know how much that firehouse is going to cost; we do not know where it's going to go," said Holmdel Twp. Committeeman and Mayor Eric Hinds. "But it will be somewhere in the central part of town where we can get to southern Holmdel in a hurry."

That means a previous plan to open a new firehouse behind Bell Works — in exchange for building 195 one-bedroom apartments there — has now been knocked off the table, probably permanently.

"This is a big deal," said Holmdel resident Kin Gee, one of the residents who was very opposed to the Bell Works firehouse plan. "There's clearly been a lot of backroom negotiation here."

Gee was not alone. The Bell Works idea was met with criticism from other Holmdel residents and even some elected officials. Residents mostly took issue with the fact that Bell Works developer Ralph Zucker got permission, in exchange for the fire house, to build the rentals, with little to no community input. The apartments would have been very small, about 700 square feet.

"First of all, 195 micro-apartments is not in character with Holmdel," Gee said. "The density would be nuts. But from a logistical standpoint, it takes additional time to get in and out of Bell Works. The roads there are very winding, and there are crazy turns. Someone timed it at some point and they found it took an extra 3-4 minutes just to get in and out of Bell Works. Think about that when you are rushing to a fire call."

"Third, this would have been a fire house on private property. You are subject to the whims of the developer. Zucker has done a nice job developing Bell Works, but at some point he's going to want to cash out," Gee said. "The short answer is they heard the public."

Holmdel Twp. Committeeman Mike Nikolis, who is up for re-election this June, also opposed the Bell Works firehouse plan.

"In an effort to get more money from Bell Works, a proposal to re-open the redevelopment plan to allow significantly more housing and apartments was discussed without my knowledge," Nikolis said on Facebook Monday. "Let me be clear, I am opposed to reopening the redevelopment plan for hundreds of apartments."

It was Hinds who drove the idea for the Bells Works firehouse. He changed his mind for two reasons, he told Patch on Tuesday:

"Fire experts did not think (Bell Works) was a good idea. The roads are windy there. And it became obvious that some Holmdelians were nervous about having rentals," he said. "Those were the two major reasons."

Also on Tuesday, Committeeman Rocco Pascucci suggested hiring a small staff of paid firefighters for Holmdel, which is struggling to find enough volunteer firefighters. If the plan goes through, this would be about five to six people and they would work during the daytime hours, when most of the volunteers are away at their full-time jobs.

This news apparently upset many volunteer Holmdel firefighters. Nikolis, who is himself a volunteer Holmdel EMT and founding member of Fire Company 2, said he is trying to work things out and come up with a plan to keep all parties happy.

"This upset the volunteer firefighters who have dedicated numerable hours to our Township," Nikolis said on Tuesday.

Hinds said today he continues to have "mixed emotions" about a paid fire department.

"I am extremely supportive and proud of our volunteer firemen and they've added seven volunteers since January," he said. "And we do have volunteers during the day. If our volunteers are behind it, we will spend the money (on a paid daytime unit). If they are not behind it, I will not get behind the idea."

Right now, the likely plan is to renovate Holmdel's existing fire station on Crawfords Corner Road. Part of that $5 million will also be used to buy a new fire truck.

Gee said he was "grateful" to Hinds and the rest of the Township Committee for the new fire house and professional firefighters. Many Holmdel residents have been concerned about a lack of firefighting capabilities in town, especially after a home on Blue Hills Drive burned to the ground this past January and it took the first fire truck 20 minutes to get to the scene.

"We are very happy that the Township Committee heard the voices of the public," he said.

Does this mean $2 million for new Holmdel turf fields is off the table?

Not exactly, said Hinds. It's no secret Hinds wants new turf fields for Holmdel.

"I do want a turf field in the future and we have a few locations that I think would warrant a discussion on getting a turf field," he said on Tuesday. "For example, the swim club would be fabulous. But right now the task is the fire house."

Ongoing Patch reporting on Holmdel's fire issues:

Holmdel May Build New Bell Works Fire House In Exchange For Apts

Fire Destroys Holmdel Home On Blue Hills Drive: The call was received at 1:31 p.m. and Holmdel Fire and Rescue Company #2 arrived on scene at 1:52 p.m. The home was fully engulfed when they got there.