Saint James, New York Fire District Commissioners are caught  between the cliche “rock wall and a hard place.”  The question that voters will answer within the next six months is whether to build a new fire station from the ground up on The Woodlawn and Jefferson site, razing a station that was built in the 70’s and is now in serious disrepair; or remodel and repair that existing station instead. We call this station the “Sub-Station.”  Or, does the department renovate and add to the firehouse at Route 25A and Moriches. We call this station the “Main House.” The beliefs that many citizens and firefighters hold on this issue are varied and strongly held by the people who have an opinion at all.  The commissioners are like the poor gazelle that is being torn apart by a pride of lions after having lost a crucial foot race.  The components to this debate are numerous and there is no solution that will please everyone. Fallout will continue long after the vote. The 45 year old Sub Station on Jefferson Avenue was built poorly and has had structural damage because of undue settling. Since last August the station has been partially abandoned because of damage caused by a flash flood. The Main House was built by volunteers in 1922 - 1923.  There are two different opinions on whether or not this building is or could be a “historical landmark” which would impact its disposition. It would be a historical landmark in 5 years except it was last remodeled in 1968 and that starts that clock again. Two knowledgeable people have given me opposite opinions.  I visited the New York State and National Parks websites for status of this building and it is not mentioned on either site.  Nevertheless it is seen as historical by locals, is used by community groups and is a Saint James icon.

I am a volunteer firefighter in Saint James, having been a proud member for three years with18 previous years on the West Coast.  I am also a part-time employee of the fire district; I am the “house attendant” (janitorial) at the Main House, 12 hours a week.  I love that old building.  I do not speak for the commissioners of the Saint James Fire District, the taxing, purchasing and overseeing authority.  Nor do I speak on behalf of the Saint James Fire Department, the provider of fire and EMS services in the town.  

Here are the topics over which debate is strong:

* COSTS of SEVERAL OPTIONS;

* COMMUNITY VALUES;

* EFFECT of VARIOUS OPTIONS on RESPONSE TIMES;

* VILLAGE of HEAD of THE HARBOR CONTRACT AND THE EFFECT A DECISION MIGHT HAVE on OUR RESPONSE TIMES to THAT COMMUNITY.

* TAXES;

COSTS of SEVERAL OPTIONS:  This is very murky.  The bond on which the voters will cast ballots probably in the Fall of 2017, asks for $12.2 million - this may be modified before the election - to raze the Sub Station and replace it with a two-story, six-bay facility facing Woodlawn. This new building would provide office space, housing for ALL district apparatus and meeting and “leisure” space for firefighters, friends and families. The facilities will be available to the public for meetings and functions.  If this bond is approved the plan is to place all department apparatus in this one building and functionally abandon the Main House.  If this bond is not approved, an alternative amount has been suggested in the amount of $10 million to renovate the the Sub Station to viability and add two “bays” to house all equipment on that property. The bond would be proposed as an alternative to the $12.2 million bond but when the voters would cast votes on that alternative should the favored proposal be rejected has not been scheduled. There are no firm plans for the Main House whether or not the bond passes.  Its disposition is uncertain.

To date the district has only the architect’s concept of the new building.  There are no floor plans or specifications so costs are only estimated. It is my guess the estimates are provided by the architect based on comparable, recently built fire houses on the Island. How much costs might change over the next few months, including last minute modifications, if any, is not certain thus the $12.2 million estimate is not final.  Also, unofficially, some people believe that the cost of renovating the existing building and adding two bays might be closer to $12 million than $10 million.

I do not know the costs of the operation of the Sub Station; it is not well built and is an energy hog.  So, however, is the station on 25A.  The Main House costs $60,000 per year to light, heat and cool  and there is significant deferred maintenance that would be costly and necessary should any use be intended for this building (a new boiler alone is estimated to cost $150,000. A new roof may be necessary.)  These are two significant capital improvements. Thus owning this building, even if vacant, is not cost-free.

If the proposal to move all apparatus to the Sub Station either into a renovation or a new building, becomes reality, the district has is to sell the Main House to offset some of the costs of readying the Sub Station site. And the district would have no sensible use for the Main Station.  Because there is a large parcel of property associated with the Main House and because the location is ideal for commercial development, a sale might net $2,000,000 with or without the current building. This is my guess only, having spoken with many people about land values in this area.  Monkey wrench: the DEPARTMENT once sold the building to the DISTRICT with the condition that if the district wants to sell it, the Department has first option to buy it back at $500,000.  It would be financially unwise for the department to not buy it even if the only intention were to “flip” it. And, the department has the money to buy it.  So, a sale to the department will not produce cash that will make a large dent in the amount of the necessary bond.  

COMMUNITY VALUES:  Saint James is a proud, nicely kept community of about 13,000 people.  Recently a grassroots organization, the Saint James Civic Association, has been successfully garnering support for improvements especially to Lake avenue but is an advocate for any improvement to Saint James attractiveness.  Toward this end this the organization has worked with the railroad, the merchants on Lake Avenue and the town of Smithtown.  At the North end of Lake Avenue, intersecting 25A is the iconic Main House.  Firefighters and community alike have very strong opinions about what to do with this building.  Many think it should be preserved and operated as a firehouse; others think it might be used as a museum for the town, a library and a general community center.  There is strong affinity to this building, one person writing on the Saint James Civic Association Facebook page, how the building was an attraction to her moving to Saint James.  In my opinion, this building is undervalued for its sentimental and historical value but many believe with equal strength it is a tax drain and diminishes the effectiveness of the department response to fires; (the two ambulances are both stationed at the Sub Station and response of the ambulances would not change in either scenario.) I like the building.  I am a VERY conservative taxpayer (a Libertarian) but there is history in this building and it really is a part of the community. “Meet me at the old firehouse on 25A and Moriches” will result in a successful rendezvous every time.  That I work in the Main House is not the basis of my opinion; I simply think it is a great building and I enjoy the often losing battle of keeping it neat and clean.

EFFECT of ANY OPTION ON RESPONSE TIMES:  As with many volunteer fire departments since families living here must be two income and because younger people often move away, producing a large response to a fire call, especially during the day time, is becoming more and more difficult.  In Saint James, this is exacerbated by having volunteers respond to two stations simultaneously.  A usefully staffed engine or truck will have four people riding, the better staffing is six, one officer, one driver and four firefighters.  It is often the case that two or three volunteers will respond to the Main House and 3 or 4 to the Sub Station.  Waiting for a sufficient crew has taken more than five minutes.  If a second or third piece of apparatus is required the additional time might be another five minutes. We are fortunate to have effective response from Nesconset according to our mutual aid protocol.  The reason response time does not matter on medical calls is that both ambulances are housed at the Sub Station and any volunteer responding to an ambulance call will drive only to that station. There are band-aids to this problem but none are ideal and some are unpopular to the members.  

VILLAGE of HEAD of THE HARBOR SERVICE ISSUES:  The Village of Head of The Harbor, North of the fire district, and north (for the most part) of the Main House has a contract with Saint James for fire and medical services. Citizens of that area do not vote on our issues but have an interest nevertheless, in the outcome. Serious concern has been expressed by some that closing the old firehouse will significantly increase response times to the contract area.  Two specifics are mentioned.  First, the Sub Station is about 1.3 miles south of the Main House so apparatus must drive 1.3 miles just to get as far as the Main house.  This likely adds 90 to 120 seconds to response time. However, it is possible that the first engine will be on the road sooner; with all volunteers responding to only one station, so that 2 minutes might well be recovered.  The second mentioned reason is the railroad tracks (LIRR) that can stop an engine from the Sub Station running to the Head of The Harbor but not from the Main house since the latter is north of the tracks. Depending on whether the train is headed West or East, the tracks will be blocked at either Mills Pond Road or Northern Boulevard and Lake Avenue at the same time (ridiculous engineering). Two factors mitigate that.  First, for reasons stated above medical response times will not change, all medical response starts from the Sub Station anyway. Second, there are “old timers” who say there are five ways around LIRR-caused delays.  I cannot figure that out. The sure path is from Woodlawn west to 25A and under the trestle to the north.  The time added versus coming up Lake Avenue should not be more than 90 seconds and again that time might be eaten up by volunteers not responding to two stations.  Demographics suggest that incidents in either Head of The Harbor or Saint James may be handled quicker because a majority of volunteers and residents live closer to the Sub Station than they do to the Main House, thus the volunteers will staff an engine and arrive on the scene sooner.  Engineers can figure out how much sooner.

TAXES:  I am a transplant from the West Coast and I am not familiar with New York property tax methodology.  What I have been told is that taxes for the bond, assuming current interest rates and a $12.2 million dollar bond, would cost the homeowner $40 for each $1,000 of taxes currently paid.  This means that  if you are paying $10,000 in taxes now then your taxes would go up $400.  However, I have also been told there is a cap at $240. I spent quite some time on the Suffolk County web site and learned much but most important to this article is that I could not find a cap.  One of the commissioners has mentioned a cap and this person is an expert in finances.  This confuses me. If any bond is passed there are then two pieces to department taxation.  One is the regular operating budget which has been staying within state law with respect to allowance for annual increases.  Because Saint James has a relatively small tax base, our taxes for fire service are the highest in the area (per information on the Suffolk County website).The second is the bond which is not subject to the taxing limit. Questions surrounding taxes are very important and should be raised at public meetings.

As a taxpayer, I believe the project is too expensive...construction costs, pinned on the farce we call “prevailing wage,” is not easy to control.  The controllable costs are in the design and type of construction of the building.  I believe the building can be designed with fewer features and aesthetics.  One of my initial perceptions when I moved to Long Island six years ago was that the fire stations were any town’s Taj Mahal.  I suspect the presence contributes to the pride of the volunteers and commissioners.  Nevertheless, Saint James has a small tax base and cannot afford the buildings of some larger departments (see previous paragraph).  Governments take taxes through the force of law thus taxing agencies have an implied obligation to spend as little as possible and if a perfectly functional station can be built for much less money, so it should be.

If I were to vote tomorrow I would vote against the bond because I like the old firehouse.  I have been told that irrespective of the vote, the old firehouse will be abandoned by the fire district but likely used for some other purpose.  Perhaps, but my sentiment lies in this quaint old building until hope is lost.  And, within volunteer fire departments there is a sense of loyalty to the “company” (in the fire service, “company” usually refers to an engine (aka “pumper”), ladder truck, rescue truck,utility truck or ambulance).  Engine One is housed at the Main; I am a part of Engine One and would feel some loss at its being melded into a larger operation. The bottom line is IF it can be proven that having only one station will provide better and faster service to the community, that is the prudent path for the community, with costs of a new building being fleshed out first.  Again, the costs are important questions for the commissioners at public meetings (not yet scheduled).

Any person who would like to know more about the issue or perhaps (I cannot commit the commissioners to this) wants a public speaker to talk about the proposed project and bond with a group, can call 631-584-5799 for more information.  Readers may comment to this article or question my assertions as a comment on the blog.  I edit blog comments only for civility, not for opinion. Watch “Our Town,” “Long Island Daily News and The Smithtown News as well as banners displayed on both fire department properties for upcoming meetings with the commissioners.


The picture immediately below is one shot of the Main House. The picture below that is one part of the two-part sub station. There is more to the station than appears in this picture.