Chappaqua Firehouse Expansion Projected to Be Finished Next Winter
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The expansion of Chappaqua’s King Street firehouse is still a year away from being completed after delays in obtaining approvals lasted longer than expected.
At the last 2024 meeting of the New Castle Fire District No. 1 Board of Commissioners, it was revealed that the projected completion date is now next January, which would be 33 months after voters approved the $15.2 million referendum to fund the roughly 13,000-square-foot addition.
“Due to various delays in getting approvals from the town, the original substantial amount of work was supposed to be sooner, but now it’s going to be (finished) sometime in January of 2026,” Commissioner Ed Frank informed the board and the public during an update on the project.
Bids for the work weren’t approved until last summer, about 15 months after the successful April 2023 vote. Escalating construction costs was a key factor that extended the length of time to award the bids, which went to five different contractors, each responsible for different aspects of the project.
Some firefighters also expressed displeasure at what they charged was lax recordkeeping and secretiveness about the fire district’s finances, particularly after there had been discussion about potentially holding off on certain parts of the work if money ran short.
Site work began last fall and was temporarily halted by the Town of New Castle after reports of swirling dust at the site in late October, made worse by very dry conditions.
Commissioners had originally estimated that once construction commenced it would take between one and two years to finish.
The biggest components of the expansion are three new bays that will be able to comfortably fit the larger modern fire trucks, increased safety by providing more room for firefighters when they’re rushing to leave the firehouse as well as adequate space to decontaminate and store firefighters’ equipment after returning from calls.
In another minor obstacle, the Board of Fire Commissioners also agreed at their last meeting of the year to completely remove bits of arsenic discovered in the soil in the driveway of the firehouse rather than bury the naturally occurring toxic element.
Board Chair Dwight Smith said he would feel more comfortable taking the extra step of eliminating the arsenic from the site and have it properly disposed of rather than continue to keep it in the ground on the property. Burying it on site would cost $7,000 while removal and disposal is estimated to run about $14,000, he said.
Smith mentioned that he would prefer to err on the side of caution.
“I think for peace of mind for all neighbors and future firefighters and anybody doing work on the property, I don’t know, maybe if they have to dig up the driveway in 20 years because it has a huge crack or a sinkhole, I’d rather it not be there,” Smith said. “I’d rather it be safe dirt.”
The remainder of the board concurred with the decision.
“I agree because if there’s any potential for it being in the grass it will cost more,” said Commissioner Nancy Zezze.
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/
