Village expects state aid to build new fire stations

Village Mayor Tim Rogers is confident that state officials will approve funding for construction of two fire stations that will provide wider coverage on both sides of the Wallkill River during major storms.

The $6.7 million project is being reviewed under the state’s NY Rising program, which is estimated to have $4.7 million remaining from the original $6 million dedicated to municipalities affected by Tropical Storms Irene and Lee in 2011.

Flooding during those storms covered a vast area of fields near the river for several days.

“At the corner of Henry W. DuBois [Drive] and North Putt [Corners Road], that’s where Station 2 is currently, that would become the new main station,” Rogers said. “Then we would have a satellite station using the municipally owned property at the water treatment plant off of Mountain Rest Road. This way, we would have coverage west of the Wallkill, which we currently do not have.”

Rogers said state officials have recognized the importance of having emergency coverage on the west side of the Wallkill River, but he conceded that the village might have to fund part of the project.

“We’re chasing down some grant money ... but we’ll probably also need to bond for the difference,”

Rogers said.

“For this entire year, we’ve had numerous meetings with the architect who is designing this project, and this architect is there because he’s being paid by the Governor’s Office for Storm Recovery,” the mayor said.

Other projects funded with NY Rising money have included replacing the Carmine Liberta bridge over the Wallkill River and upgrades to the village’s wastewater treatment plant.

Officials had planned to use some of the state funding for upgrades to a bridge connecting Springtown Road to the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail over the Wallkill River but determined there is a risk it could be submerged during heavy flooding.