By Karen Robinson
The Buffalo News
EAST AURORA, N.Y. — The East Aurora Fire Department and village officials have their eyes on a potential new site for a proposed $5 million fire hall at 33 Center St. that’s already drawing some residential concern.
“We do not want to destroy neighborhoods, but we need to get this done,” Mayor Allan A. Kasprzak said Thursday during a community forum in the existing 1954 fire hall at 575 Oakwood Ave. “It’s been kicking around too long.”
About 50 people — village officials and residents, along with firefighters — turned out for the meeting, which featured a detailed description of why the Oakwood Avenue fire hall cannot handle the size of today’s equipment and is therefore no longer suitable.
“We’re looking for a facility that meets our needs. We have to go somewhere,” said Tom Ess, assistant fire chief.
Fire officials said that the current location is not viable because of space and environmental concerns and that rebuilding there could end up being more expensive than relocating.
The Oakwood site could cost nearly $3 million more because it would mean acquiring the Senior Citizens Center and relocating it to the town’s Gleed Avenue building plus purchasing a home at 545 Oakwood.
The latest possibility is a dental building at 33 Center, not far from Main Street. No banquet facility would be included, as now exists at the current fire hall; and there would be no drive-through truck bays.
The village has not made an offer on the property, which has been appraised at $360,000. The estimated cost of acquisition and nonconstruction-related preparation is about $166,000. Tied into that estimate is the expectation that the village would sell its existing fire station to a developer for senior citizen housing.
Kasprzak noted that the longer the project is stalled, the more it will cost. “It’s pretty much a spartan-type fire hall. That’s all they’re asking for,” he said.
Already, several Center Street neighbors were full of questions. They said they feared that their property values would drop and questioned how safe their children would be walking past a busy fire hall, with equipment backing in and out throughout the day.
“I think our concerns are legitimate. Once you say you’re the good guys, we automatically become the bad guys,” said Joseph B. Cassidy, who noted that about 14 children live on the block in question.
“I think anybody put into the situation we’re now put in, ought to be able to make sure it’s OK. It’s a far more residential area than it’s being painted as. We looked at homes near this fire hall and did not want to buy near a fire hall.”
One resident who lives directly across from the proposed location said the neighborhood wants to know more. “We’re not totally against this,” Todd M. Pieczynski said. “We just want more information.”
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