North Syracuse reviews new fire station plans and approves bond for replacement truck

Sean Fornan of Hubert Brewer Construction told the Village Board that design documents for the proposed fire station addition are approximately 60% complete and that permit-ready drawings should be available by mid-April, with the project put out to bid early in May if the board approves the final package.

The planned addition is roughly 5,400 square feet with four apparatus bays, a radio room, support spaces (turnout gear room, SCBA/mechanical space, gear wash/decon) and a training mezzanine. Fornan said the project team is working with CHA on site plans, elevations and design details meant to “soften” the building while remaining mindful of budget. He said the current target budget is about $5,000,000 and that, based on preliminary fiscal analysis, the tax increase for a home assessed at $100,000 would be about $68 annually under a 30-year bonding scenario.

Trustees pressed for clarity on code compliance, neighborhood spacing and whether residents outside the village would share the tax burden. Fornan and board members noted that under New York municipal law only village residents can be directly levied to repay a village bond, though the village maintains fire-protection contracts that offset village costs for portions of the towns of Clay and Cicero that it protects.

Separately, the board reviewed and adopted a bond resolution authorizing acquisition and equipping of a firefighting vehicle at an estimated maximum cost of $2,000,000. The resolution was read into the record and adopted by voice vote. The board discussed timing — trustees were told the replacement truck would likely be two to three years out and that debt service and payments would not begin until delivery/contract milestones.

Fire Department leadership also briefed trustees on mutual-aid response to a suspected intentional fire at Woodwind Gardens Apartments. The chief said Mattydale and Liverpool fire departments were on the initial dispatch and that New York State Police and state fire investigators joined the response; several buildings had fires confined to areas of origin and the incident remains under investigation.

The chief provided a memorandum from the North Syracuse Volunteer Firefighters Association listing recent capital and operating contributions the association has made to the department — items such as vehicle headsets, IT and training-room renovations and other equipment — and estimated the association has contributed roughly $261,500 in lists of items over five years and over $400,000 since incorporation. The chief said those association contributions reduce the village’s operating burden and delay costs that would arise should the department transition to a paid model.

What happens next: the board set an April 19 public hearing on a PD-zone code change tied to the station project; trustees also discussed whether a referendum should be held so village residents can vote on the tax implications.