Committee Created To Advise Bedford Village Fire District

BEDFORD, NY — The Bedford Village Fire District is welcoming the formation of a new Community Liaison Committee. The members, who are volunteering their time, bring expertise in pertinent areas and will evaluate and provide input as the district moves forward with revised plans for a new firehouse, according to a spokesman.

The eight-member group is comprised of registered voters who are residents of the district but are not members of the fire department. They represent a wide range of thoughts and opinions about the proposed new firehouse, officials said.

“We’re committed to serving our community and to conducting an open, transparent discussion,” said Heather Feldman, chairwoman of the Board of Fire Commissioners. “We’re pleased to have this group of outstanding residents volunteering their time not only to educate themselves on the various needs of the fire department, but to help in sharing their independent opinions with the community.”

Members of the committee, along with their area of expertise, are:

• Kirtley Cameron, architecture
• Mufit Cinali, management consulting
• Ellis Cousens, engineering
• Christina Docthtermann, real estate
• Charles Goldman, finance
• Anna Kenoff, architecture
• Joe McKenney, finance
• Paul Thomasset, engineering

“As is stated in our name, we hope to be liaisons between the community and the firehouse,” said Goldman, a member of the CLC, who initiated the formation of the committee. “I thought it was important that the community and the fire department work together to put together a plan that would not only pass but would be reflective of constructive interaction between the community and the fire department leaders.”

In order to facilitate communication with members of the community, the CLC has created an email account to which residents can send their questions or concerns. Submissions will be reviewed and discussed regularly by the CLC.

The Board of Fire Commissioners has scheduled a special meeting for July 30 to declare its intent to put out a notice of lead agency for the SEQRA process, which will focus assessing the environmental impact of the new firehouse but will not determine the final architectural design.

The district plans to hold a public hearing on the SEQRA application in early September and aims to present the revised plans to the public during an informational session later that month. The district plans to bring a bond proposal to finance construction on a new firehouse on Old Post Road by the end of this year.

The district has also taken a number of important steps forward with plans for a new firehouse since April 30 when fire district voters narrowly rejected a prior plan. It has retained locally based Sullivan Architecture, a firm with extensive experience in firehouse design, as well as numerous other public and private projects. The firm will conduct a thorough review of the site plans and interior and exterior design with the goal of reducing the size and cost of the building. The district owns the work and design prepared by the previous architect, H2M.

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