By Patrick Whittle
Newsday

SETAUKET, N.Y. — Residents of the Setauket Fire District voted down plans for a $12.9-million bond that would have built two new fire buildings in the North Shore community.

Voters decided by a count of 975 to 153 not to approve the bond, so the district, which serves 90,000 people during the day, cannot build a 23,972-square-foot firehouse on Main Street and 16,290-square-foot administration building on Nicolls Road.

The two buildings would have cost $15 million.

Fire Commissioner Joseph Prokop said the new buildings were necessary to replace the department's 75-year-old headquarters on Main Street. Moving the administrative offices near Stony Brook University would have allowed the fire district to build a new facility with community space in downtown Setauket, he said.

"We didn't want a monolith. We wanted to have something that would be aesthetically pleasing and fit into the area," Prokop said.

Prokop said there are no plans to revise the project.

Herb Mones, president of the Civic Association of the Setaukets and Stony Brook, said he "does not support the current site plan of moving the headquarters out of downtown. "

But Joe DiBernardo, member of S-Section Circle of Friends, a local civic group, said the new buildings would have been worth the extra money.

"I know everyone is antispending now with the taxes on Long Island, but if you look at your tax bill the Fire Department section of the tax bill is so cheap," he said.

The bond would have added about $22 for every $1,000 in taxable property for residents of the district.