Crime & Safety

RVCFD Wants $21M Bond to Rehab Firehouses

Bond would be used to renovate headquarters and raze and rebuild the firehouse at 103 Maple Ave.

Rockville Centre Fire Department officials want to close down Hose Company No. 1 on South Centre Avenue, merge its volunteers with , then raze the firehouse at 103 Maple Ave. — Eureka Hook, Ladder and Bucket Company No. 1 — and rebuild it. The reason, fire officials said, is because the buildings have fallen into disrepair.

The RVCFD needs a $21 million bond for the renovations, and department chiefs will present the project to the board at the village briefing session on March 24.

The $21 million bond would also pay to renovate headquarters, and relocate the fire inspector's office to the firehouse on Maple Avenue. Mark Murray, chief of the department, said that several of the village's firehouses have infrastructure issues, and relocating the rescue company would quicken response times.

Find out what's happening in Rockville Centrewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"What we are looking to do is relocate the rescue company in the middle of town for a faster response," Murray said. "Plus, the maintenance has been neglected by the village over a period of time."

Murray said that headquarters at 58 N. Centre Ave. was renovated about 30 years ago, but has since been plagued by water leaks, a deteriorating roof and other problems. "Just last night, the toilet on the second floor was leaking into the chief's office," he said. "The plumbing is completely outdated."

Find out what's happening in Rockville Centrewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

There are about 30 to 35 volunteers at Hose Company No. 1, Murray said, which would put the amount of volunteers at headquarters at about 65 if the two were to merge. By consolidating the two companies, the building at 39 S. Centre Ave. would be given back to the village, Murray said.

Murray added that the firehouse at 103 Maple Ave. also has numerous infrastructure problems — the walls and lower roof are in poor condition — and there is limited parking as well as a dearth of space for bunker equipment. According to the fire department's presentation on the village's Web site, it would cost almost $12 million to raze and rebuild the Maple Avenue firehouse, and nearly $8 million to renovate headquarters.

Village trustees could either pass a resolution and put the bond up for vote at the June 21 election, or the fire department could collect a required number of signatures to bring it to a vote. Murray said he does not know which way it will go. "I don't know, one day I feel good about it, the next day it's mixed feelings," he said.

For more information on the project, the costs, and a detailed list of what needs to be repaired, click here.

 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.