Building a dedicated firehouse for the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department’s ambulance unit at 70 Cumberland Ave. in Lake Success would have “zero impact to local traffic” according to a traffic study authorized by the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire and Water District.
The study, conducted by Woodbury-based Cameron Engineering, was released at the Aug. 24 commissioners meeting.
District commissioners in May delayed the bond vote after residents expressed concerns about the impacts of a new building during a public hearing on the $11.7 million proposal.
The district will hold a vote on Tuesday, Oct. 10 where residents can decide whether to approve $10 million in bonding for the proposed facility.
The traffic study is also available on the department’s website at www.mlfd.com.
District Commissioner Steven Flynn said the district did its due diligence based on community feedback and that he believes the Cumberland Avenue location is perfect for the ambulance unit.
Flynn also said the traffic study identified safety and signage issues with the location, which are outside the district’s jurisdiction but they have reached out to local officials on the matter.
“We have contacted Town and Village officials to brief them of the study’s findings and advocate for their assistance in correcting and enforcing the areas identified through the study that are out of our jurisdiction,” Flynn said in a statement. “Based on the study’s findings, we firmly believe that the property on Cumberland Avenue is the ideal location for the new station.”
Flynn continued to say the Cumberland location would fit the current and future needs of the department’s ambulance unit.
The 40-member ambulance unit has been sharing space with Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department Co. 3 in Great Neck since 1988 in a building originally meant for one company, the district said in a release.
If approved in a vote, the district would build a two-story, 10,336-square-foot building that has four bays, three for the unit’s ambulances and one for the first response vehicle, among other things.
During the May public hearing, residents objected to the lack of a traffic study at the time, visibility at night and a lack of signage on the street, among other things.
Residents also pointed out that the east end of Cumberland, the corner it intersects with Allen Drive, has a nearly 90-degree turn with no stop sign. Surrounding residential streets are the jurisdiction of the Town of North Hempstead but included in the traffic study are recommended improvements to the area.
During overnight calls, ambulances would not use their sirens until leaving the area unless there is traffic near the driveway to minimize noise impacts, the traffic study said.
The department is part of the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire and Water District, which owns the proposed land and takes in all of Manhasset except for Plandome, half of Great Neck and some of North New Hyde Park.
The district serves approximately 45,000 customers within a service area of 10.2 square miles, according to its website.
Current issues with sharing a space with Co. 3 include double stacking vehicles in the department’s bay, inadequate space for vehicles and first responders to move around the apparatus floor during emergencies, limited office space and bunk space for first responders doing an overnight shift, Capt. Lee Genser said in May.
In 2022, the ambulance unit was dispatched to 1,230 calls, Genser said
The anticipated maximum project cost is $11,706,044 for the total project, according to the district.
If approved, the project would be tax-neutral to residents and the district has and will continue to stay below the 2% state-mandated tax cap, Commissioner Mark Sauvigne said.
Anticipated hard costs of the project, which account for the physical materials, labor and equipment that go into the construction of the building, is $9,590,544.
Soft costs for the project, which may include consulting fees, interior equipment or furniture, amount to $2,115,500.
A state grant of $1 million was secured by state Assemblywoman Gina Sillitti (D-Port Washington) in 2022 and goes toward the approximate $3.5 million that has already been allotted for the project in reserve funds, district officials said in May.
Commissioner Brian Morris said a reserve fund was previously made to help cover the cost of the project as the district considered new locations for the ambulance years ago.
“To help plan for a future project, the district has been saving money in a reserve fund to put toward the construction of a new building,” Morris said in a statement. “If approved by the community, the cost of the principal bond payments to pay for the project, as well as interest, is in line with what the district has historically transferred to the reserve fund.”