Morris Fire District Residents To Vote on New Firehouse Proposal

By TERESA WINCHESTER
MORRIS

The Board of Fire Commissioners of the Morris Fire District will hold a public meeting on Thursday, November 13 at 6 p.m. at the Morris Fire Department, 117 Main Street. The purpose of the meeting is to provide information and receive public comment regarding a proposal to construct a new fire station.

A public vote on the proposal to authorize the expenditure of $5,983,000.00 for the construction of a new firehouse will be held on Tuesday, November 18 from noon to 9 p.m. Voting will take place at the Morris Fire Department. All residents of the Morris Fire District who are registered to vote and who have resided in the Morris Fire District for 30 days prior to voting are eligible to participate in the referendum, which is conducted by the district itself rather than the Village or Town of Morris. The district encompasses properties in both municipalities.

The exact wording of the referendum asks voters whether to approve “a resolution authorizing the issuance of serial bonds of the Morris Fire District in the Town of Morris, Otsego County, New York in the aggregate principal amount not to exceed $5,938,000 pursuant to the local finance law to finance the construction of a new fire station and delegating the power to issue bond anticipation notes of the sale of such bonds to the fire district treasurer.”

A September 8 post on the Morris Fire Department Facebook page delineated the reasons for the proposal, stating that apparatus size has become problematic because modern fire trucks are larger than in the past, making it increasingly difficult to find vehicles that fit in the current space. Also, tight quarters make parking the trucks extremely difficult and create safety risks for members when backing in or pulling out. The gear storage area does not provide adequate space to suit up safely or efficiently. There is currently no room to properly wash and dry gear—an essential component for health and safety, the post stated.

The current firehouse has suffered damage from three floods in the last 15 years, according to Fire Commissioner Chairman Stan Leonard, who also said that the Main Street location does not meet federal, state or National Fire Protection Association standards. A new firehouse could serve as a temporary shelter during emergencies, such as floods or power outages, the Facebook post said.

In May 2024, the fire district engaged the Syracuse firm of Hueber Breuer to conduct a feasibility study regarding the current fire station and potential options for improvement. Interviewed on Thursday, November 6, Fire Commissioner Hank Rehrmann, who has been a commissioner for 17 years and a fireman since 1966, related that the five commissioners of the district had earlier this year empowered a committee of 11 district residents, including Fire Chief Rich Lindberg, to examine the options regarding a station for the district.

The options included building a new station at the existing site using structural steel; erecting a pre-engineered metal building on the existing site; building a new engine house only at a new site; building an engine house on a new site and renovating the existing firehouse meeting space; and building a new engine house at a new site.

According to a communication from Hueber Breuer, the committee graded each of the options, concluding that “this quantitative process demonstrated that the construction of a new single story fire station on land not in a flood plain was the most cost-effective long-term solution.” This option called for an 8,630-square-foot facility. It assumes a 2026 construction start and does not include land acquisition.

Even with a station at a new site, the siren will remain at its current location in the center of the Village of Morris, Rehrmann said.

Public informational forums were held in June and September on the options for the Morris fire station. According to Rehrmann, exit polls from these two events indicated that the majority opinion on the subject was “go big or go home,” meaning that the general consensus was to build a new fire station at a new location. Following the advice of Hueber Breuer, the district engaged civil engineer Matthew Napierala of Napierala Consulting in Manlius, New York to mentor it through the steps of the State Environment Quality Review Act.

According to Napierala, the goal of the project for the SEQRA review was “to seek public funds via a referendum.” The Morris Fire District was lead agent and the SEQRA full assessment form, sometimes referred to as the “long form,” was filled out. In a publicly announced meeting held in the summer, the fire commissioners made a “negative declaration” regarding the project, meaning that it posed no substantial environmental impact.

According to Rehrmann, “The SEQRA review has come back and we are good to go. All the i’s have been dotted and all the t’s have been crossed.”

Because the SEQRA process as described by Rehrmann and Napierala deals strictly with public funding, the building project, upon passage of the referendum, must undergo yet another SEQRA process with review by local planning and zoning boards, New York State Departments of Transportation and Health, the Department of Environmental Conservation, and any other appropriate agency.

Rehrmann, who strongly favors building a new firehouse in a new location, said that steel construction such as was used for the current firehouse is no longer suitable, whereas PEMB is “indestructible.” During a visit to the firehouse, Rehrmann pointed out the narrow space in which the turnout gear lockers are located. He also said that a new facility would have flexible diesel exhaust tubes lacking in the current building. Rehrmann then pointed out the cramped space for communications—a 2-by-6-foot table located at the firehouse entrance.

“A new firehouse will have a separate room for a communications center. It will be a better use of space over all,” he said.

“We are looking at the future. The existing building is roughly 100 years old and was built as a meat locker. It was not built for our purposes,” said Leonard, who has been with the Morris Fire Department for 50 years in various capacities.

Besides Rehrmann and Leonard, Morris Fire District commissioners include Nancy Purdy, Ted Johnston, and Cliff Hoag.

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