Firehouse extension green-lighted

Variances have been granted to the Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department to add a two-story extension to the rear of its firehouse at Central and Washington avenues in Lawrencee, to enable the department to accommodate new, larger equipment and to respond to emergencies faster.

Plans may advance to the financing stage now that the department’s request for village building code variances was approved by the Village of Lawrence’s Board of Appeals on July 25.

New firefighting equipment is larger than old trucks, and responding to emergencies requires more equipment than when the firehouse was built 110 years ago — even after a three-bay extension was added to the building in 1971. “Apparatus has to be moved in and out and shifted before we can respond to certain calls,” said 1st Assistant Fire Chief John McHugh.

Equipment now housed in the building had to be custom-made to fit into its limited space. Newer vehicles will not fit, and a 1991 pumper truck and the ambulance are due to be replaced with larger models in the near future, McHugh explained.

The extension’s first floor will accommodate the pumper truck and the ambulance. There will be office space upstairs, along with the department’s command center and a handicapped-accessible bathroom.

The extension’s appearance will match the existing structure, according to architect William Quintanilla. “The architecture will keep similar materials and features of the original firehouse,” he said. That includes the shingled roof and the external stone walls, Quintanilla said.

The Lawrence-Cedarhurst F.D. has 72 members and responds to an average of three calls per day, according to McHugh. “I look forward to the project starting,” he said. “We’ll be able to be more flexible with our apparatus, respond quicker, and it will be safer for our members.”

The department contracts with the villages of Lawrence and Cedarhurst to provide fire protection service, as well as the residential and commercial areas of the North Lawrence and East Lawrence fire districts.

After financing is arranged for the project, specifications will be finalized and it will be submitted for bids, said Joe Schettino, the Fire Department’s attorney. Construction is expected to begin later this year.

Tesori Jewelers owner Pietro Tesori said his store, at the corner of Central and Washington, will remain open during the extension construction.

The approved variances will allow the department to construct the extension on Washington Avenue, with smaller front and rear yard setbacks than are normally required. The building will be approximately four feet higher than the permitted 25-foot height, and approval was also granted for a roof stair tower that will extend three feet higher than the allowable 35-foot height. Parking will be reduced from the existing 18 spaces to seven.

The projected cost is expected to be close to $2 million, officials said. The department is exploring financing options, which could include borrowing the money from the Village of Lawrence or from a bank.

“We’re all working together to get the best interest rate,” said Village of Cedarhurst Trustee Ari Brown. “I reached out to a couple of banks, the Fire Department reached out to a couple of banks, and there’s the Village of Lawrence. It’s about getting the best rate. [The money] all comes from taxpayers, so every percentage point counts.”

A new contract between the villages and the Fire Department has yet to be agreed on, according to Lawrence Village Administrator Dave Smollett. “Part of that has to do with financing the $1.8 or $2 million and the interest over 15 years,” Smollett said. “We will include that in the contract, and we’re waiting to see what the number is going to be.”