TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON, N.J.—The Township Council has approved a $6 million volunteer fire and ambulance corps headquarters at 656 Washington Ave.
The appropriation, seeking notes of $5.71 million, fell short on second reading Aug. 12 after Councilman Michael Ullman voted no over his concern with the cost and what appear to him to be redundant functions.
On Oct. 7 he again cast the sole dissenting vote, saying emergency workers deserved a new facility but that project costs beyond the $6 million would surface and that there were opportunities to consolidate.
“It may not be the popular opinion but it’s my opinion and I wanted that on the record,” he said.
He was outvoted.
Afterward, member Art Cumming defended the planning and chided Ullman, saying the workers now “have what they need.”
Township Administrator Robert Tovo said the project will move forward promptly.
Fire Chief Peter Insetta said following the vote that members, who crowded the council chambers, looked forward to working with the mayor, the council, and architect Robbie Conley, calling the project a team effort.
The current firehouse will be knocked down. Just east of its current footprint, near Pascack Road, will rise a 2-story, 44-foot-tall, 20,338-square-foot fire station and ambulance corps HQ.
In preliminary plans, a pitched roof is shown topped with a cupola.
Plans call for new traffic signals outside the firehouse to synchronize with emergency traffic, Mayor Peter Calamari said online.
The Volunteer Ambulance Corps, now at 354 Hudson Ave., near the municipal building, will move into the first floor of the new firehouse.
Basic needs for the firehouse—erected in 1951 and upgraded in the ‘60s—include bay doors to fit modern trucks, space for volunteers to perform essential primary and support functions, room to store gear, and areas to dress and equip themselves prior to calls.
Five bays will be available to the Fire Department, and two bays will accommodate the ambulance corps—as will a utility bay for a smaller first-responder vehicle.
Calamari said on Facebook in August that the new facility, fleshed out with input from the fire and ambulance workers, will include space for volunteers, room to store gear, and areas to dress before a call.
The new bays will provide more height for fire trucks, which now have 1.5 inches of clearance. They’ll also have a 14-foot door, adding 4 feet of clearance.
Councilman Robert Bruno said after the ordinance failed several weeks ago and was scheduled for reintroduction that had had “no problems” with the building being built as proposed.
“We’ve already spent several hundred thousand dollars on design fees [an estimated $400,000]. We approved it. You’re not about to throw that away,” he said.
The facility will be the most significant local project undertaken in some time. It is be expected to protect the township and—through mutual aid—its neighbors for the lion’s share of the 21st century.
It also eclipses and adds to debt for new fire apparatus, police radios, and a new municipal facilities headquarters, after claims of neglect surfaced in spring 2017.
Council President Michael DeSena posted on the Township Taxpayers Group on Facebook on Oct. 8 that the previous day “is all about PROGRESS.”
He said, “I am extremely proud to be an integral part of this amazing council on moving the township forward with long dormant projects talked about for years.”
DeSena said the intersection upgrade at Washington and Pascack is progressing and confirmed that the town is negotiating with the private Washington Township Swim and Recreation Club “so it is not developed by a developer.”
The club has fallen behind on its property taxes and faces other financial pressures. For background, see “Swim Club Seeks a Way Forward: Dragging Unpaid Taxes, Stalled Reimbursements,” Sept. 30.
DeSena also touted talks toward a new site for the Department of Municipal Facilities and long awaited environmental remediation at the current site.
The closed session agenda lists Resolution No. 19-290, “Potential property acquisition; Swim Club acquisition.”
Emergency paving planned for Washington Avenue
On Sept. 29, DeSena posted, “Thank you to all the residents who reached out to Bergen County regarding the horrific pavement condition on Washington Avenue. As you can see by the signs on Washington Avenue, emergency paving will occur from Pascack going east to Colonial on or about Oct. 16.
He said the entire road is scheduled to be paved once Americans with Disabilities Act curb ramps are completed.