Mike McCagg
ccSCOOP News
03-31-09 - A proposal to construct a new firehouse and recreation facility in the Town of Austerlitz will require the assistance of state lawmakers.
The Town Board will seek state legislative approval for a plan that would ultimately allow the Austerlitz Fire Company to acquire two acres of land from the Town to construct the new station and recreation area for town residents, said Councilman MaryAnne Lee. The two acres are part of a four-acre parcel the Town owns surrounding the firehouse on State Route 22 at the intersection with West Hill Road. |
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Lee met with Assemblyman Marc Molinaro (R-Tivoli) on March 23 and will seek his support and that of Senator Stephen Saland (R-Poughkeepsie) for enabling legislation that would allow the move to go forward. "Home rule” legislation is required because the two acres the Town will sell to firefighters is designated as parkland. The sale is considered “alienation of parkland and that requires state approval,” Lee told ccSCOOP.
The Austerlitz Town Board is scheduled to approve the sale of the land and seek state legislative approval of the transfer of parkland at its April meeting, Lee said. The state legislature, she said, is expected to act on the legislation at the end of the legislative session–in late May or early June.
While Lee said the Town would be willing to give the land to the fire company, it legally bound to sell municipal property at fair market value. The value of the two acres that will be sold to the fire company has been determined to be $23,000, she said.
Austerlitz Fire Company Captain David Savage said the new firehouse is needed. “The building we have is outdated. The truck bays are very small, and we won’t be able to fit future trucks into the firehouse, because the trucks have gotten bigger,” said Savage. “We want to serve the needs of the Town and the need of our firefighters.”
The existing Austerlitz fire station was constructed in 1954 and expanded in the 1970s.
Savage said design of the new station is in the very early stages. The first step, he said, is the purchase of the land and that will be followed by designing the new station and fundraising.
In addition to the two acres being acquired from the Town, the fire company would also acquire the .66 acre owned by the Austerlitz Board of Fire Commissioners, which owns the existing station and the land on which it stands. The new station will be constructed and owned by the fire company. |
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Lee and Savage said that the new lawn surrounding the facility will include numerous recreational opportunities—among them of a potential playground and covered ice rink. The councilman said the Town has been in discussions about including “much needed” Town Court space in the design for the new firehouse.
“This is really a win-win situation,” Lee said.
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