ORANGE COUNTY, N.Y.—The Howells Fire Company got the go-ahead vote to construct a new firehouse. The decision needed to pass a bond referendum, allowing the fire district to borrow money and raise the fire tax.
The bond referendum for $9.5 million to build the new firehouse passed on May 6 with 162 saying “yes” and 40 saying “no.”
The Howells Fire District includes Wallkill and part of Mount Hope in Orange County and Mamakating in Sullivan County.
People in the served area will pay an additional $.85 to their Howells Fire District Tax Bill every day. Howells will likely need to pay about $600,000 on the bond annually, lasting 25 to 30 years. Prices and costs are still in negotiation.
Howells Fire District Commissioner Louis Ingrassia told The Epoch Times: “We are very proud of the fact that we have not gone to the public for a public referendum for money since 1992, over 30 some years ago. Whereas there’s a lot of fire districts around us that, when they buy a new truck, they have to bond it, they have to pay the interest payments.”
Ingrassia credits treasurer Bob Wheeling for the good management. Wheeling’s been in the position for 28 years.
Fire districts work similarly to school districts in that they need to hold a public referendum on whether they can bond money and go into debt.
The reason that the fire district wants a new firehouse is that the old one was built in 1915, with some additions in 1969, and it is now too small for the level at which they are operating.
Currently, the Fire Company cannot house all six of its vehicles inside the firehouse.
The firehouse also lacks many amenities and safety features required for modern firehouses. There are no showers or spaces for gear washing and storage. The new firehouse would be one story, compared to the current two-story firehouse that violates parts of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The new 16,000 square foot firehouse would have new lockers, an electric room, a radio room, communications, and training areas.
Ingrassia hopes the new firehouse will last 50 to 60 years. He said it would take about 12 to 14 months to complete building once it is started.
Over the past seven years, the fire district has acquired 60 acres of land down the road from the current firehouse. They plan to use five acres for the new firehouse. The rest will be conserved or saved for later development, according to Ingrassia. He suggested that a pavilion and recreation area might be created.
Commissioner James Finn described the response to the proposed new firehouse bond at a public hearing on April 21.
“We probably took a dozen questions, and the overall feel was that we had community support,“ he said. ”I don’t think 25 people [are] really representative of our whole community.”
The vote showed overwhelming community support, with 81 percent of voters voting “yes.”
Voter Dave Hoyt gave his reason for supporting the new firehouse.
“[The Howells Fire Company] has been in our house a couple [of] times recently because we had some false alarms with our alarm system,“ he said. ”They’ve been very competent, very helpful.”
