Open Letter to the Millwood Community from your volunteer firefighters . . .
. . . We protect your lives with ours. Vote YES on April 12 to fund the new Millwood Fire House
Monday, April 4, 2011
From the Volunteers of the Millwood Fire Company # 1
Dear Residents of the Millwood Fire District,
Lightning sparked a blazing fire at the Millwood railroad station in 1924 and Millwood residents attempted in vain to put it out without equipment or manpower. The Chappaqua Fire Department had to be called from across town to help suppress the blaze and save what was left of the station. That incident brought home the importance of quick local response to fires in Millwood and prompted the creation of the Millwood Fire Company.
87 years later, Millwood is still fighting fires from the same building
Today the headquarters of the Millwood Fire Company is still located on Millwood Road in the same building built by the first firefighting volunteers in 1924 on land donated by the original members of the fire company.
The location of the building was fine in 1924 when a Model T Ford would occasionally rumble through the heart of the hamlet. But today it presents both operational and safety concerns. The overall lot is very small and we must share this limited space, limited parking and a right-of -way with vehicles using several adjacent retail establishments and residences. Much of what appears to be fire company property in the vicinity of the firehouse actually is not.
The original building was designed to hold one or two small fire trucks each about the size of a contemporary SUV. It was built at a time when the fire service was transitioning from horse-drawn equipment to motorized apparatus. Millwood’s first fire truck was a 1924 “American LaFrance Brockway Torpedo,” which we still own and maintain as a symbol of community and longevity.
But it is virtually impossible to fit all the equipment and apparatus necessary for effective 21st century firefighting as well as the larger fire trucks in the 1924 building even with the 60-year-old addition added in the 1950’s.
Birthplace of Millwood Fire Company is beyond its useful life
The fire company’s building in downtown Millwood is falling apart and cannot be repaired. We are firefighters and we fix things. But there is no fix for our beloved home. It’s not just the size or the location.
In 1996 the entire building and property were donated by the Millwood Fire Company to the Millwood Fire District taxpayers for $1 with the understanding that the Board of Fire Commissioners would be able to use tax dollars to provide an adequate facility for the volunteers within a few years.
The current Board of Fire Commissioners has worked tirelessly and transparently to design a building that is reasonably sized, functional and very respectful of taxpayer dollars. To help reduce the expense of development and design the Board relied extensively on volunteer “resident experts” to help guide them through several phases of planning. They have been very sensitive to the environment and the needs and concerns of the proposed project’s closest neighbors.
This project is long overdue and as your neighbors who also own property protected by the Millwood Fire Company, we struggle mightily to operate effectively and safely to protect your homes and businesses every day. Emergency situations today are vastly different from 87 years ago, requiring different, more sophisticated and in many cases larger equipment. We can lift a 20-ton vehicle off a trapped person in a few seconds with the right tools and a place to keep them.
No new taxes required to fund the new firehouse
A resolution passed by the Millwood Board of Fire Commissioners on March 11, 2011, states that the cost for the new building will total $13,460,000. Out of that amount, $9,950,000 will come from issuing bonds, while $2,250,000 will come from capital reserve funds and the anticipated proceeds (estimated around $1,260,000) from the planned sale of the current stationhouse and its land.
For the past several years, the Millwood Board of Fire Commissioners has taken some of the taxes paid to the Millwood Fire District and transferred funds to a capital reserve fund in anticipation of this building project. From this fund, the board was able to purchase the land for the new firehouse and pay for the design costs.
If the bond referendum is approved, the board will continue to transfer Millwood Fire District taxes to service the debt service on the bond. Consequently, there will be no increase in Millwood Fire District taxes to build the new firehouse or to pay off the bond.
We need your vote on Tuesday, April 12
The vote on the new firehouse bond referendum will be held on Tuesday, April 12. Residents of the Millwood Fire District who are registered voters may vote at the Millwood Fire Station #1, 60 Millwood Road in the hamlet of Millwood from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.
Millwood firefighters volunteer because we want to give back to our community and help our neighbors and friends. We never walk off the job. We have been here since 1924, seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day, in all weather.
We protect your lives with ours. We need your support. We need a new building for the current volunteers to do their job efficiently and safely.
Come visit us on almost any Tuesday evening when we train and maintain our equipment. Also we encourage you to visit our website to see all the things we do for our community www.millwoodfire.org — and down below, view our short video presentation.
PLEASE HELP US PROTECT YOU. COME OUT AND VOTE “YES” ON APRIL 12.
With our sincere thanks,
The Volunteers of the Millwood Fire Company #1
ACTIVE MEMBERS:
Andrew Angowitz
Claudio Balloffet
Wayne Brandt
Ryan Bruckenthal
Steven Bruckenthal
Joseph Calcutti
Charles Canero
Bart Carey
Robert Correra
Adam Corwin
Matthew Drucker
Brian Dubs
Billy Gallagher
Neil Gollogly
Michael Horan
Nicholas Isles
Marc Kavy
James Kendall
Todd Kruger
Rich Lawson
Jason Lewer
Ray Lips
Greg Lombardi
Hala Makowska
Jay McCarthy
John McCarthy
Robert McCarthy
Doug Mead, Jr.
Doug Mead Sr.
Kerry Merkel
Brian Moran
Tony Olenik
Andrew Parkis
Brian Porricelli
Dan Puszka,
Walter Quast
George Racz
Roy Rich
Joe Rod
Jorge Rodrigues
Ramsey Safieh
Greg Santone
Sal Santucci
Rich Scanlan
Jan Schwark
Mark Stabile
Eugene Vanderbeek
James Vazquez
Steve Wright
Claire Yergeau
From New Castle Community Media Center:
As a member of the Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps, I’ve had the chance to work with the Millwood Fire Company on multiple occasions and I know what an excellent organization this is.
Please note the key point in the article: “there will be no increase in Millwood Fire District taxes to build the new firehouse or to pay off the bond.”
If you live in Millwood, I encourage you to come out and support the Millwood Fire Company and vote yes on 4/12.
Thanks.
How much money will be spent on this new Firehouse? In this day when people are losing their jobs….I hear its gonna be a Mega-Firehouse, as to rival the enormous Armonk Station. Please include all the facts, Square footage, Game Room? superb fitness center. I think the Fire Dept does a great job, but lets show a little compassion to the PEOPLE WHO ARE SUFFERING in this economy and not rub it in our faces!
Sorry, MegaFirehouse person, but I’ve watched this process up close. The proposed firehouse is in no way comparable to what people call “the palace” in Armonk. The current board has brought cost down to earth after a period of pie-in-the-sky dreamed up by earlier boards.
I admire what current board members have done to contain costs. Multiple times these fire commissioners have given presentations describing the project in minute detail and links to their website giving descriptions of the features of the proposed firehouse. This article is a good summary:
It includes a click spot to a pdf giving all the figures in the world you want. Take a look.
I am a Millwood resident supporting the volunteer fire fighters. 20 years ago, a fire suddenly broke out in the attic of my parents house in Chappaqua. We were shocked. It was completely unexpected. You never know when you will be the next victim of a fire.
The volunteers need support and proper facilities to operate from so they can keep attracting new volunteers. They are far cheaper than having a paid department (who would also need an updated fire house)
I support the new building and am sorry I won’t be able to vote yes as i don’t live in millwood. Firefighters - including and maybe especially volunteers - should be “working” with 21th century equipment. My hats are off to you risking your lives to fight fires and help with other disasters.
The Millwood fire dept does a great job. I really respect and appreciate them all. They do such a great job that they don’t even need a new fire house. They are doing just fine with the one that they got. Same goes with the New Castle police and their police station.
To those who think that $13 million is too much to spend on a new Millwood firehouse, I’d ask, how much would you consider reasonable? $10 million? $8 million? Spending nothing isn’t an option. If the bond is voted down, millions will continue to be spent to keep Station #1 standing while exploring other options. Please don’t confuse this board of commissioners with the previous one, or this plan with earlier ones. The new board has done its homework—in public meetings all of us were welcome to attend. Many of us have been arguing for a responsible firehouse for more than six years. If enough of us vote YES tomorrow, we can finally begin to build it.
