http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Voters-approve-new-1-4-million-fire-station-in-12429903.php
Voters approve new $1.4 million fire station in Glenmont
Updated 4:15 pm, Thursday, December 14, 2017
Bethlehem
Voters in the Elsmere Fire District approved a new, $1.4 million fire station in Glenmont at the corner of Feura Bush and Wemple roads.
The vote, held Tuesday, was 272 to 180 in favor of the proposal.
The fire district, which comprises the east side of Delmar with Elsmere Avenue as the western border, stretches down to Glenmont.
Although the Delmar and Selkirk Fire Departments have stations along Feura Bush Road already within just a few miles of where the new Elsmere station will be located, the Elsmere Fire Department is ultimately responsible for responding to fires in that area of its district. There are five fire districts in the town of Bethlehem.
That area of Bethlehem has has experienced the most robust commercial and residential growth in the town over the last 10 years. The Elsmere fire district has long planned to build a second station at that site when that growth reached a critical stage.
The new fire station would have 4,608 square-feet of space, with enough room for two fire trucks. It would not normally be staffed and primarily used during emergency calls.
The typical Elsmere Fire District tax bill is roughly $190 a year for a resident whose home is valued at $200,000 by the town of Bethlehem.
Although the Elsmere Fire District is borrowing $1.3 million to pay for the cost of what's being called its south station, John Brennan, chairman of the Elsmere Fire District, told the Spotlight newspaper that the bond issue would not raise fire district tax bills.
"We have enough in our budget to accommodate that (the debt service) during this period," Brennan told the Spotlight.
The fire department, which has an annual budget of about $950,000, has owned the 1.4-acre site where it plans to build the new station since 1982. The intersection has a traffic light and crosswalks already in place.
"Elsmere is seeking to go forward with the project at this time to address the exponential increase in residences and commercial establishments south of Route 32 and along Route 9W," fire department officials wrote in their application to the zoning board.
The project has its detractors. Former Bethlehem Supervisor Sam Messina voiced his opposition in a letter to the editor that ran in the Spotlight.
"The most important reason to vote no on Dec. 12 is that all five of Bethlehem's fire districts should be focusing on consolidating/sharing services and adjusting district boundaries, where necessary," Messina, a resident of the Elsmere Fire District and a social member of the department wrote.
"That is a far better way to improve fire call response times, reduce increasing fire service costs and deal with dwindling number of volunteer firefighters."
