Letter to the Editor: Proposed Firehouse Expansion is Costly, Unneeded

Dear Friends and Neighbors of Chappaqua Fire District #1,

We are coming late to the reality that our Fire District #1, which has 4 fires on average each year, is asking for $15.37M dollars of our taxpayer money to more than double the size of their building. Many residents are still unaware of this. If you agree with, or are concerned about the below, please read and share this with your friends and neighbors. Not voting means it will likely pass.

BACKGROUND AND INFORMATION

We respect and appreciate our volunteer firefighters, but the wish list they want to fulfill, and the price tag attached makes no sense. To learn more about this, see below:

The League of Women Voters is concerned about both the short lead time on the vote on something so expensive to 3,100 households and the voting window, which is only 6 – 9PM on October 25th. See below from the LWV website:

"On October 25, 2016, New Castle residents in Fire District #1 will be asked to vote on a $15.37 million bond referendum to expand the existing Bedford Road Firehouse. The League of Women Voters of New Castle believes that information and community engagement is critical in making an informed decision on such an important matter, especially since it will affect the taxes for approximately 3,100 households.

We were dismayed at the short timeframe and lack of information provided to the community about this vote. The Board of Fire Commissioners adopted a resolution regarding the bond at a Special Meeting held on September 20, 2016.

Residents can become informed voters by:

Reading the materials posted on the Fire District's website

Watching the September 13, 2016 New Castle Planning Board meeting."

THE MAMMOTH SIZE OF THE PROPOSED BUILDING

In earlier meetings, Chair of the Fire Commissioners Chris Weddle stated that there is no situation that the CVFD cannot handle with the existing fire apparatus. The proposed building expansion which more than doubles the square footage and also the length of the building at a cost of over $15M is excessive.

We think the proposed new fire house would completely change the character of one of the key intersections in our town. It is WAY out of scale for the neighborhood, and the commercial buildings near it.

The argument that we need bigger bays for larger fire apparatus is refuted by Fire Commissioner and firefighter Brian Jabloner, who has stated that larger trucks than what the department has now would not be able to navigate some of the local roads and many driveways. It’s already difficult enough in some cases with trucks the size we have now. We need newer apparatus, but not larger, requiring bigger bays.

In the presentation I saw, it was repeatedly mentioned that in the future due to lack of volunteers, we may have to become a paid fire department. Some of the large spaces requested were “bunk space” (which we have upstairs now for the estimated 3 or 4 storm nights a year when some volunteers bunk in.) But the larger new spaces would be for paid firefighters who would be there overnight on a regular basis. However, that is the unknown. We don’t currently have any paid firefighters and there have been no decisions that the public is aware of to hire any. So, projections on when we might become a paid department are purely conjecture. Commissioner Weddle and the architect both admitted this.

As an example, Scarsdale has a 50/50 professional / volunteer department. Other departments remain all-volunteer. What we will build now shouldn’t be decided on the basis on what might be needed at some unknown time in the future.

If we are unable to respond to calls in our area, our fire district may be consolidated with other local districts, and tasks delegated, making various areas of this big remodel not only expensive, but also not useful or simply redundant.

No fire department staff bunks in at our firehouse overnight currently, and for most hours during the day, no firefighters are even in the building. The exception is before a predicted big storm, possibly 3 or 4 times a year, and often even less frequently. We would be building a big empty building. The 3 fire chiefs rotate an “on call” schedule, and the firefighters are also on call, responding from their homes.

Mostly, no one is there, but they are asking us to pay for more than doubling the existing square footage.

TAX IMPACT

For a house that is assessed at $200,000 (which according to the Town Assessor equates to having a full market value of about $1M and is very likely less than its actual market value) the current CVFD tax is now $470 per year. If the voters in the fire district approve the $15M project, the annual fire tax will increase by $1.20 per $1000 of assessed value. On a house assessed at $200,000, the increase would be $240 - for a total tax of about $710 per year for the next 20 years. THIS IS JUST FOR YOUR FIRE DISTRICT TAXES ALONE.

Your taxes would increase for the next 20 years with a yes vote on this. The current CVFD taxes are 0.00235 multiplied by a home's assessment as listed on your tax bill and as listed on the Town Assessor's roll which is available here.

This is yet another formula for driving out working and middle class homeowners, and making the tax costs so high, it also becomes more difficult for residents to sell their homes.

FIRE HOUSE WISH LIST – NEED vs WANT

There are some things the Fire house could use, for sure. In our opinion, buying the veterinary office next door would give them many options in years to come, which they would not otherwise have, so that purchase makes sense. If it weren’t used, ultimately it could be sold. As we understand it, a vote on this purchase will be a separate item on the ballot!

But here’s what we don't think we NEED at this cost: an in-house museum, a new and bigger bunk room which will be empty unless we have paid firefighter staff, expanded office space for the secretary and fire chiefs (no one works there full time; just a few hours a week), and two full bays to store our antique fire equipment (making the footprint so much bigger) they can use the old firehouse in town for that, a gym which they already have at the Senter St. location, and more.

Perhaps a more sensible remodel within a budget would produce acceptable results, and not impact taxpayer pocketbooks so greatly. This plan puts a big long-term tax burden on us, and seems fiscally imprudent. At the two recent informational meetings, there was no one there to answer the financial questions asked by a resident, a former CFO for non-profits, and another meeting to get that information sounded unlikely from the Commissioner’s vague response.

We were also rebuffed when it was asked for the vote to be postponed in order to have time to make sure the electorate is informed. We hope that they will change their minds on this, but it seems unlikely.

THE VOTE

We volunteered to man the polls to ensure a full day of voting or at least longer hours that 6-9pm currently scheduled. The answer was no. Apparently they didn't have anyone willing to do that in the past. But we are not “electors” so if the district can’t find “elector” volunteers, we will have only this limited window to vote OR….you can get an absentee ballot, but it must be requested by October 18th and will be sent via USPS. (Not sure how many days they will take to process this) The absentee ballot can be requested on the district website.

Do this ASAP or it will be too late!

The vote is Tuesday, October 25th from only 6 - 9PM. When we voted in the December 2015 fire commissioner election, it also was from 6 - 9PM and the lines were so long, people left. There will be no voting machine this time, just paper ballots, but the time it will take to check everyone's ID's against the voting rolls, will almost surely produce long lines. Please come anyway!

Does this sound like good government to you?

The town doesn't have any say in this. The Fire District is its own independent entity. But this WILL pass if people who object don't vote against it.

We implore you to get informed, for your and your family's sake, and spread the word. And please vote, whatever you decide.

Sincerely,

Lynne Lambert

P.S. I have tried my best to gather as much information as I can by speaking with those who: have attended prior informational meetings at the firehouse, attended Town Planning Board meetings on the project, and several current and former CFD members who share my concerns about fiscal responsibility. Forgive me if I've gotten something wrong. I've tried to share the tools for you to get the information you need yourselves.

ALSO SEE:

• Letter to the Editor: Accurate Chappaqua Fire Department Statistics
• New Castle Fire Commissioners Seek $15M Chappaqua Firehouse Expansion