[johnfromnowhere]

Stewart Manor puts fire truck purchase up for vote
February 21, 2010 by LAURA RIVERA / laura.rivera@newsday.com

Stewart Manor Fire Department (Feb.

Residents of Stewart Manor, a village of 718 households, will go to the polls March 1 to decide whether to borrow $405,000 to buy a new fire truck - two years after the village spent $650,000 on another truck.

After controversy erupted among taxpayers last month over the proposed purchase, the village board last week decided to put the decision into voters' hands. Village officials now say they will buy the custom-built pumper truck only if a majority of voters approve.

The village of 0.2 square miles has two trucks - one 20 years old and in need of an estimated $59,000 in repairs. The other was acquired new in 2008.

How much is necessary?

Now some local taxpayers who balk at the prospect of adding to Stewart Manor's $3.4 million debt are questioning whether this village of mostly single-family homes needs such costly new trucks, or if it needs two trucks at all.

National insurance standards call for one engine within a 1.5-mile drive of any building it protects.

The village is in a section of western Nassau with so many firehouses that 13 different companies could potentially respond to fires on some streets within three minutes, a 2005 Newsday investigation found. Both the national recommended response time and the LI average response time for volunteer departments are under 10 minutes.

Fire Chief Daniel O'Keefe said having only one truck could endanger firefighters and residents if it malfunctioned during a call. In 2008, before the new engine was put into service, the department had just one truck and it broke down at the scene of a car fire, causing an eight- to 10-minute delay.

That truck's pump system had failed at another car fire in 2004, he said. "We lost two cars for this reason," he said, adding that it failed a pump test this month. "I can't tell you how many times it's not doing what it's supposed to be doing for our residents.

Officials defended having two trucks by pointing to nearby smaller communities: Bellerose has 378 households and two trucks, the newest one purchased in 1994, officials said.

And East Williston, with 833 households, bought its newest fire truck in 2005 for $210,000, officials there said.

The 10-year bond for the Stewart Manor truck would cost the average household $75 annually after the first year, when payments would be lower to cover only interest costs.

The average household already pays about $340 a year for debt service on capital improvements related to the fire department, according to estimates from budget figures and former village officials.

"We realized it could be a contentious issue so we decided to pursue a new truck only if a majority of the residents were in favor of it," said Deputy Mayor Peter Healy. He added the village was not required to put it to a vote.

The proposal comes two years after the village acquired a $647,000 fire engine with a pumper and ladder to replace a nearly 20-year-old pumper engine with mechanical troubles - one of two 1990 models the village bought in 2000 for a total of $300,000.

Repair old vs. buy new one

Rather than pour thousands into repairs for the aging pumper, O'Keefe said, the village should invest in a new truck, then resell it after 10 years to get a high return that could fund part of the next purchase. "We pay for what we get. We got two engines back in 1990 that cost us well into six figures with cost and repairs," he said. "Dollar for dollar we'll get a solid piece of apparatus that will last and we can get money back."

Former Mayor Joseph Troiano said the features of the truck purchased in 2008 exceeded the village's needs and that the latest proposal had prompted some residents to speak out about overspending on fire trucks. "The debt we'll incur with this purchase is something the public doesn't have an appetite for at this time," Troiano said. "If other communities aren't doing so, they should follow this example . . . and ask the appropriate questions."

John Walsh, 73, a resident for 42 years, exhorted the village to stagger fire truck purchases a decade apart so that taxpayers don't have to service debt on two engines at the same time, something O'Keefe seconded.

"The board I think has just made a flat-out mistake here," Walsh said.

Laura Mallay of South Hempstead, head of Residents for Efficient Special Districts, said volunteers should have all equipment necessary to ensure their safety. "But when you're buying trucks with all the bells and whistles . . . it's absolutely ridiculous during this crisis," she said. ". . . We've got great volunteers but the system's broken. There's too many trucks. There's too many firehouses."

The 1990 truck replaced two years ago was sold for $30,000-$35,000, O'Keefe said. Officials said they've not decided to sell the older truck if voters approve purchase of a new one.

[notanothercliche]

ahhhhhh, not this $hit again

[I Love Kosmo]

"Self Proclaimed Fire Service Experts" at it again!!

[Slim]

sigh

[keg_254]

I didn't think it was anti fire service. They presented both sides of an upcoming public vote.

[tl254truckie]

i read it...the feeling i get is newsday wants everyone to know that tiny little less than 1 sq mile stewart manor wants a big over priced fire engine play toy...typical nonsense from uninformed troublemakers...just because something is new doesnt mean its overly expensive...based on the price they mention in the article its relatively inexpensive...cant be too many "bells and whistles" on it...and for the record..even if it did...who gives a shit...LOAD IT UP!

[emsteach124]

Rather then everyone speculating what the article was / was not saying, why not have someone fron the Manor comment?

[X120620]

only difference is....i see this as not newsday self initiated reporting....this looks like a direct hit from the residents there....and maybe somewhere along the line...a disgruntled member or ex member with an ax to grind or feeding the residents the info...awful lot of information about the rigs in the article to be coming from just joe blow...ah, it'll go away in a day...like everything else...if newsday was like the post and put half nude starlet pics in...nobody would even read their articles....

[manorchief]

You are right, this is being initiated from a former Mayor who discrased the Village and himself when he quit as Mayor a few years ago. I spoke to that reporter and I'm glad she stuck to her word and printed SOME of the things I said, not all but that's ok. There was some inconsistent info. The numbers were off and it is only a handful of residents that feel this way, so far, we will see. There is no doubt they are in a bad place right now, but they caused it themself. Going back to 2005 we advised them we needed to replace both engines at that time and they refused us and they went with the recommendation from us for the Quint only. We still stated to them they needed to repalce the second engine, and now here we are, it failed the pump test a few weeks ago and needs a ton of work. Sometimes all they have to do is listen to the Fire Department, and our past Village Board denied that. If I didn't speak to her, i'm sure this article could have been worse, she only had one wrong side of the story. FYI our former Mayor, is on the run with other district and Village residents to go after the special districts. I will say now, we have a pro-village board for their fire department except for one Trustee and believe it or not he is a member of our Department. On another note I would be careful what we write as a whole on this board b/c she knew about it.

[6912truckie]

Anyone know anything about this "expert" and her organization:
Laura Mallay of South Hempstead, head of Residents for Efficient Special Districts

http://www.resd.info/

[VSINDY]

Originally Posted by manorchief

...Sometimes all they have to do is listen to the Fire Department, and our past Village Board denied that. I will say now, we have a pro-village board for their fire department except for one Trustee and believe it or not he is a member of our Department.

Thanks for the insight Manor Chief, good luck and hopefully the referendum will go in your favor.

What struck me (OK from 50,000 feet for sure), was that the current Stewart Manor Mayor and Board, imho, abdicated their responsibilities by calling for that referendum when none was required.

Most of the 64 incorporated villages in Nassau County must approve multiple Bond Issues each year, ranging from purchasing equipment - be it a fire truck or a garbage truck - to paving roads to facility improvements. A voter referendum on each of those would be virtually impossible and very expensive, so we taxpayers delegate that duty to those we elect.

By "coping out" and calling for this referendum rather than taking a stand, the board seemed to me to fail to recognize their duty.

Bad precedent, every initiative always has its opposition, and the Stewart Manor Board has now put itself at risk for having to call expensive referendums for every future project, the cost of which will surely eclipse that of a pumper over time.

JMO and again, good luck, Manor Chief!

[manorchief]

Originally Posted by VSINDY

Thanks for the insight Manor Chief, good luck and hopefully the referendum will go in your favor.

What struck me (OK from 50,000 feet for sure), was that the current Stewart Manor Mayor and Board, imho, abdicated their responsibilities by calling for that referendum when none was required.

Most of the 64 incorporated villages in Nassau County must approve multiple Bond Issues each year, ranging from purchasing equipment - be it a fire truck or a garbage truck - to paving roads to facility improvements. A voter referendum on each of those would be virtually impossible and very expensive, so we taxpayers delegate that duty to those we elect.

By "coping out" and calling for this referendum rather than taking a stand, the board seemed to me to fail to recognize their duty.

Bad precedent, every initiative always has its opposition, and the Stewart Manor Board has now put itself at risk for having to call expensive referendums for every future project, the cost of which will surely eclipse that of a pumper over time.

JMO and again, good luck, Manor Chief!

You are right, they didn't have to, our Mayor is an active Ex-Chief and Paramedic, and we have another two members on the Board, one is ok and the other stinks, they were caught with their pants down, and they didn't have a choice on the vote, believe me it wasn't their first choice, I can't really say anymore on this matter. But try to read into it, I just hope the vote goes are way, which we do think it will.