Vote for new Champlain fire station today

May 15—CHAMPLAIN — Champlain Fire District residents are being asked to vote in favor of a new fire station today.

Those interested in casting a vote can do so at the Champlain Fire Station at 162 Elm St. in Champlain from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.

According to a newsletter from the CFD, the total cost of the new fire station would be $6,950,000, though with $215,000 allocated from the station's reserve funds, that total decreases to $6,735,000.

LACK OF SPACE

Their biggest reason for needing a new fire station is the lack of space at their current location, Fire Commissioner Chris Trombley said.

"At the end of the day, it's a small building," he said, adding that the building does not meet current standards for fire stations.

"The equipment has grown larger. We're spread out across two different locations to store our equipment: 162 Elm Street, which is the fire station, and an adjacent building, which is about a half mile away to store the auxiliary equipment. So that's one of the biggest things in a time of an emergency — you want to be able to access your equipment pretty quickly, right?"

The proposed fire station's new location, which would address the current space issues while adding more rooms and parking spaces, would be near the intersection of State Route 9 and State Route 11.

Trombley added that the new location is also more centralized in the community.

TAX RATE

If approved, taxpayers will see their tax rate tentatively increase $0.99 per thousand dollars of assessed value. This means that the annual increase for a home with an assessed value of $100,000 would be $99 and the monthly cost would be $8.25, he said.

These numbers are based on the 2023 tentative assessment values that were released recently and are subject to change.

Trombley said before the new assessment was released, the tax rate increase was actually higher.

"The new assessments' ... timing was either gonna hurt us or help us, to be quite honest," he said.

Additionally, Trombley said they worked closely with USDA Rural Development in securing a loan with a low interest rate.

"By going through Rural Development, through that loan program, we secured a 3.5% interest rate over 30 years, as well as opening up some other funding options as well by working with those folks," he said.

"If it was a commercial lender ... the interest rates would be up in the 7% or 8%, probably."

Plans for the CFD's new fire station have been brewing for several years now, Trombley said.

"Just prior to the pandemic, there was a public vote and it was approved to expand at the current location; However, the bids came in higher than anticipated and that, coupled with the onset of the pandemic, we held off ... It just wasn't the right thing to do at the time."

"We didn't spend that money. Even though it was approved, we didn't spend it, because we put the project on hold. Fast forward now, three years, and we have a new location that's better suited for egress in and egress out, the utilities, the infrastructures are there ..."

Trombley said the biggest concerns he had heard from residents at the two public hearings leading up to today's referendum were about the approved money from the previous vote.

"Some of the concerns were, was the money spent from the previous approval? ... No, it was not. That project, like I said before, was not instituted so therefore there was no money spent," he said.

"That was one of the biggest concerns."

Trombley is also hoping, if this project is approved by the voters, that it will help with recruitment and retention.

He said they've already had a few members join in anticipation of the potential new station.

"A fire station is truly a reflection of the community, much like a church or anything else," he said.

"On the retention side, you know, our members have certainly worked hard to maintain the building over the years ... it gives them a sense of pride and makes you want to be part of that organization."

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