Errors Hike Mount Kisco Firehouse Fixes By 70%

MOUNT KISCO, NY — Errors made by the architectural firm hired for a big renovation and expansion of Mount Kisco's firehouses mean the true cost is 70% higher than the $10.25 million voters approved in 2017, The Examiner reported.

Village and fire officials will meet Tuesday to discuss the revelations of April 29, when the CEO of H2M architects + engineers, Richard Humann, talked with the village Board of Trustees.

Everyone had found out about the problem in February when bids for one of the three firehouses, on Green Street, came in up to $2 million higher than the pre-bond estimate. Saying a portion of the total square footage of the project had been inaccurately input, which directly affected calculations, the cost opinion and pre-bond budgeting, the company offered a revised estimate of $15.7 million for the whole project.

Now it turns out that was also too low.

That number was based on the firm's pre-bond estimates to the village (in 2017). Now that they've looked at current construction costs, the architects have now arrived at an estimate of $17.5 million, Humann told the board.

“It’s really heartbreaking. You guys are supposed to be professionals,” Deputy Mayor Jean Farber replied, according to The Examiner.

Read the entire article on theexaminernews.com.

Green Street, the Lexington Avenue firehouse and the East Main Street facility all need to be upgraded to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act. They're too small for modern equipment. And they weren't built with decent facilities for female emergency responders.

SEE ALSO: Millions Miscalculated On Mt Kisco Firehouses Project Costs

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