The fate of the $10.8 million bond referendum for to pay for a proposed new fire station will be decided by Manlius village residents at the March 18 village election.
The project calls for a 26,000-square-foot, one-level fire station to be located on the corner of Enders Road and Route 92 in the town of Manlius, building on a 4.1 acre parcel on land to be purchased by the village.
The bond, which is not to exceed $10.87 million, has a life of 30 years. The tax increase on residents within the fire district, which includes the village of Manlius and parts of the towns of Manlius and Pompey, will be between $32 per $100,000 home assessed value to $48 per $100,000 homes assessed value.
Amid extensive citizen concerns about both the need for the station and its high price tag, a public information meeting was held March 7 at which the mayor, fire department officials and the project architect answered questions and sought to clarify residents’ concerns.
One major issue broached about the project was that it affects residents outside the village of Manlius as well as within it, but only village residents can vote on the bond.
Under New York State law, village residents only — not Manlius or Pompey town residents — will be able to vote on the bond proposal on March 18 because the village is the municipality responsible for fire protection, said Manlius Mayor Paul Whorrall.
The other major question from residents was whether the $10.8 million cost for the project is necessary and how much taxes will increase because of it, versus having the village renovate its two current fire stations.
According to the fire facilities committee that has been working on this project for seven years, the $10.87 million cost to construct one central fire station will be financed over 30 years at the cost of $48 per year for the owner of a $150,000 home. The cost to renovate the two, outdated existing stations in terms of tax impacts, will be about double that.
“What some people don’t understand is that if this bond for a new fire station is not approved, we still have to make renovations to the existing buildings so they meet various codes and standards,” Whorrall said. “This could cost just as much as building a new one and the amount to pay it back would be shorter.”
According to Whorrall and the Fire Facilities Committee, renovations to the existing stations on Stickely Drive and Pompey Hill Road would cost somewhere between $8.7 million and $9.5 million. This bond, which would not be up for a public vote because they are needed repairs to bring the stations up to current code, regulations and safety standards, has a life of 15 years. This would reflect a tax rate of $63 per $100,000 home assessed value over 15 years, said Whorrall, compared to building a new station, which would cost at most $48 per $100,000 home assessed value over 30 years.
“After years of studies, we have concluded building a new station would be the most cost-effective solution,” said Whorrall.
To address the public’s concerns with project costs, David Pacheo, from Pacheo & Ross Architects, spoke at the March 7 meeting to give an overview of why the fire station project was needed and explained some of the finances behind it.
Estimated costs for the project include “hard costs,” which are the actual cost associated with building materials and construction, to be $8.5 million. Pacheco said the Warner Construction Cost Index has shown construction costs in 2014 are much higher than they were in 2008, the previous all-time high, and will only continue to grow.
“It’s vital we start construction as soon as possible if this project is approved,” said Pacheo.
The remaining $2.3 million is attributed to “soft costs” of the project, which include professional surveys, land purchase, code required inspections and firematic equipment and contingency, said Pacheo.
Pacheo said in his 20 years of experience working on emergency response facilities, the process of a municipality approving and building a new fire station typically takes two to three years. The Manlius fire station project was started in 2007, and the cost of studies, needs-analysis and purchasing land to hold has added to the overall project costs, said Pacheo.
The estimated cost of the project does not include several factors that are expected to lower the overall cost, including sale of the land the current stations are on, said Pacheo.
According to village clerk Martha Dygert, the village hopes to gain some additional funds because the village has recently changed ambulance billing companies, which will hopefully mean more revenue to the village.
Whorrall said he encouraged residents to call the village office (682-9171) to ask questions about the project.
The referendum vote will be from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 18, at the Manlius Village Centre, 1 Arkie Albanese Ave.
Hayleigh Gowans is a reporter for the Eagle Bulletin. She can be reached at [email protected].
