New Castle Fire District Ready for Critical Land Purchase Vote
New Castle Fire District No. 1 residents return to the polls next Tuesday to decide whether to borrow up to $2,674,644 to buy the old Chappaqua Animal Hospital property adjacent to the King Street firehouse.
The price of the single proposition also includes demolition of the building, removing asbestos before the structure is torn down and addressing contaminated soil on the parcel, said Fire District Board of Commissioners Chairman John Buckley.
Buckley said the proposition likely represents the last chance for the district to acquire the land before it is snatched up by a developer.
“There are already people waiting to build on that property and this board, the last board, got an extension to buy the (property) until they hold the referendum,” Buckley said.
According to a memo addressed to the board of commissioners from Fiscal Advisors & Marketing, Inc. of Mechanicville, N.Y., a firm that advises local governments, the proposed bonds would be amortized over a 22-year span. The projected average annual debt would be $174,715; however, Buckley said commissioners have announced their intention to transfer the $200,000 placed each year in the district’s Building Reserve Contribution to be used to offset the cost of the debt service.
If the board follows through on that plan, there will be no tax impact on taxpayers, Buckley said. Otherwise, the average district homeowner would be hit with an annual $57.60 tax increase.
Buckley stressed that unlike the controversial firehouse expansion referendum that accompanied the land acquisition vote in October, there are currently no plans to revisit enlarging the facility at 495 King St.
But what makes next week’s vote crucial for the district is that if voters fail to approve the proposition, the opportunity to expand on that site at some point in the future will likely be lost, he said. As a result, when a future board decides it needs a larger firehouse, it would have to pay tens of millions of dollars to acquire a new site and build another structure from scratch in a location that’s not as centrally located as the King Street site.
While $1,620,000 of the money would pay for the acre-plus parcel, which may seem excessive, the price may be higher because it’s been coveted by developers for a long time, Buckley said.
“There are people wanting to build on it and are willing to pay it if we don’t get an approval on (Feb. 7),” he said. “Someone will build on that property, and the fire department is going to be stuck in its corner lot.”
The same land acquisition proposition was defeated by a little more than 100 votes on Oct. 25. The $12.6 million firehouse expansion was badly defeated by about a 6-1 margin amid frustration at long lines during polling hours and charges that the commissioners failed to effectively communicate why a major expansion was needed.
Other previously discussed options, such as selling the old Senter Street firehouse, are also on the table for the commissioners to gather more money, Buckley said. However, since there is both functioning and antique equipment housed at the Senter Street location, the district would have to find another location to house those items.
Polls will be open to all registered voters living in the district from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the King Street firehouse next Tuesday, Feb. 7. Information related to the proposition can be found at www.ncfd1.org.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
