W.B. Fire District asks voters to approve $800K bond for purchase of property

West Babylon Fire District voters will be asked to approve spending $800,000 for the purchase and reno­vation of property adjacent to the de­partment's headquarters on Arnold Avenue. The property is at 41A Mun­cy Road, and will provide the fire de­partment with the opportunity to plan for the future, according to Fire Com­missioner Joe Arcuri. "Right now there is a house there and we always told the owners that if they ever wanted to sell to let us know because we would be interested," he said. "They are moving and came to us and we think this would be a good opportunity for the departments and the residents we serve." The purchase price is $700,000, and the additional $100,000 will be used for incidental costs associated with closing and making some minor im­provements to the site according to fire officials. At this point, however, the department has no formal plans to use the site, but planning for the fu­ture is important, they said. "When this district was formed we answered 150 alarms out of two sta­tions during the first year. This year we will respond to more than 3,000 calls out of three stations and sites that hold ambulances and other equip­ment,"

said Arcuri. "We have to think about the future because if there is one thing we know, it is that this com­munity is not getting any smaller." If approved, the district will borrow the money and pay it back over seven years. The cost of the purchase will be $13.32 a year on a home assessed at $3,700. In the seventh and final year of the payments the cost will go to $14.48.

The vote will take place at two lo­cations: For residents living south of Sunrise Highway, the voting is at Fire Headquarters, 126 Arnold Ave., West Babylon. For those living north of Sunrise, the voting is at the firehouse at 1033 Herzel Boulevard, West Bab­ylon. The voting is from 2 to 9 p.m. on Tues., July 15.