New firehouse on the ballot Tuesday

Residents within the Warwick Fire District go to the polls Tuesday, July 2, to vote on a $4.6 million bond for a new 10,000 square foot, handicap accessible firehouse on South Street Extension.
The cost to an average taxpayer within the district is estimated to be $43 per year, according to the fire commissioners.
Currently the average taxpayer within the fire district pays $217 in fire tax. That would increase to $260. The term of the bond is 30 years.
The need
According to George Schick, chairman of the Warwick Fire District Board of Commissioners, the current firehouse on South Street Extension simply does not meet the structural or safety needs of the district any longer and cannot be expanded.
“We’ve gone as long as we can with the current firehouse,” said Schick via email. “We need a larger truck room to house the apparatus we need to protect the district, particularly the rescue truck which is 20 years old and is due for replacement.”
The rescue truck is used often responding to motor vehicle accidents.
The current truck room limits the size of the apparatus that can be purchased, Schick said. The current building cannot be expanded, according to an engineering study performed in 2008. The existing overhead door provides a maximum opening height of 10 feet.
Increasing that height would require major renovations to the roof’s structural system. Therefore, they cannot fit a larger vehicle in the building.
“We had an engineering study performed on the building and we were hoping to find a creative way to increase our space,” said Schick. “The study showed that the current building could not be expanded and also was in need of repairs.”
The study noted that the present building “appears to have been designed to support a single-story structure only. Vertical expansion of the building will require major structural modifications.”
The study states that the building and infrastructure systems appear to be adequately maintained and operated. However, there are items that have exceeded their life expectancy.
There are structural issues with the building, including a cracked foundation in the meeting room, leaks and mold issues, the apron in front of the truck room needs to be replaced, and the building is not handicap accessible.
Engine Company 3 history
The truck room was originally built in 1961, simply to house fire apparatus on the south side of the railroad tracks. All firefighting equipment was housed on the north side of the village and cut off from the south side by the railroad tracks until then.
Engine Company 3 was formed on April 4, 1967, to protect the south side of the railroad tracks. The building expanded in 1969 with a meeting room, officers’ room, storage area and kitchen two years after the formation of Engine Company 3 as a bona fide company.
In 1985, a lounge, ladies room and antique truck rooms were added by the members and a new roof was added in 1987. In 1989, the compressor/storage room was added.
The district purchased the adjoining property in 2010 in anticipation of the construction of a new firehouse.
Then and now
In 1967, when Engine Company 3 was formed, the Village of Warwick population was 3,604. In 2018, it increased 90 percent to 6,828.
The number of fire calls in 1967 was 83. In 2018, that increased 500 percent to 500 calls.
The Warwick Fire District
The Warwick Fire Department was formed in 1869 and is marking its 150th anniversary this year. The Warwick Fire District was created in 1978 and is administered by five publicly elected commissioners. There are currently 120 volunteer members in four companies: Excelsior Hose Company, Goodwill Hook & Ladder Company, Raymond Hose Company and Engine Company 3.
The Warwick Fire District spans the Village of Warwick and the areas of the town outside of the Pine Island, Florida and Greenwood Lake Fire Districts.