LBFD to Hold Open House for Renovated Firehouse

The Long Beach community will finally get to see for itself the massive reconstruction of the Indiana Firehouse, when the city hosts an open house between 12 and 3 p.m. Saturday.

"We're very pleased with it," said City Manager Charles Theofan. "We want the community to see the facility, the complete and total reconstruction of the building."

Beset by huge cost overruns and lengthy delays in the project, the firehouse, which was closed for rehabilitation on Dec. 1, 2008, was officially reopened on Sept. 29. But it was not given the go-ahead to be occupied by firefighters until late last month, Theofan said.

The Nassau County Fire Marshal has given approval to all construction, except for a hood over the stove in the cooking area, and has signed off on the new sprinkler and fire alarm systems, allowing firefighters to occupy the building, located at West Park and Indiana avenues.

"They just can't cook there," said Theofan. "Otherwise it is fully operational."

The original building was plagued by shoddy workmanship, including leaks and structural problems almost since it was first constructed in 1981, officials said.

The renovated Indiana Firehouse was originally slated for completion by mid-2010, but re-opened several months later due to problems with the contractor, officials said. The project, which was originally estimated to cost $2.5 million, ballooned to around $5 million.

Lawrence Benowitz, a Long Beach resident, believes city officials still have not given the public the true cost of the project.

"Several months ago they told us the project's cost," Benowitz said. "I'm sure the costs have continued to go up. When everything is said and done, I want to know what did we spend in true dollars."

He said add the costs of renovating the firehouse to the $7,500 per month the city shelled out to rent the garage at Empire Motor Group on Lindell Boulevard to store its fire vehicles, and the total price tag is way too expensive.

Benowitz said construction of a brand new firehouse would have cost between $3 million and $3.5 million. "They made a bad decision and, of course, the taxpayers are footing the bill," Benowitz said.

He agreed that something major needed to be done with the building.

"I want the building to be safe for the guys working there," he said. "They were working under terrible conditions. The building had mold and it was an unsafe building. It needed to be renovated. But the city has not kept to within the perimeters. It is costing double the amount it was supposed to. For the extra money they could have paved Neptune Boulevard."

Kevin Mulligan, public works commissioner, said the original $2.5 million estimate took in construction costs alone, and did not factor in the design phase or construction management monies.

In addition, he said cost overruns of between 20 and 30 percent could be expected with any construction project. The refurbished firehouse includes three garage bays, updated command centers and improved communications. It also includes a meeting room, where volunteers will hold seminars and training sessions.

"That should enhance and raise their effectiveness," said Mulligan. "We look forward to an increased response time with more training and improve upon what the firefighters already do very well.

"The firemen are extremely happy with the improvements," he added. "It's still a big empty building and we want to create as much space as possible for them."