|
|
|
|
GUEST COMMENTARY: Don’t change firehouse plan
|
By John Testa
|
There has been considerable discussion about the new location for the Centennial Firehouse in Peekskill. Inexplicably, the majority of the present City Council has taken it upon themselves to radically change the course of the multi-year process that has been in place to relocate and restore the historic firehouse and create the Lincoln Depot Museum and Plaza.
This concept was a major focus of the city’s waterfront revitalization efforts over the past six years and because I was closely involved in its conception and development, many have asked me to set the facts straight related to the firehouse and the plans to use it as part of a larger Lincoln Depot Historic Site.
1. The Route 9 bridge project forced us to develop a plan to preserve the firehouse. We accepted this challenge as a unique opportunity. Most important was to preserve a building that has been part of Peekskill’s history for over a century and to adaptively reuse the structure as part of a historic complex.
2. The location for the firehouse was chosen two years ago with a specific site plan developed by Jan Hird Pokorny Associates, the architects who were hired for the Lincoln Depot restoration and the Lincoln Plaza design. In order to gain Department of Transportation (DOT) approval and an agreement to pay to move the building, we were required to have a commitment that the building would be restored and used. The DOT would not pay a substantial amount of money to move a building that would sit vacant and deteriorate further.
3. In 2006 we were able to obtain the commitment of Governor Pataki for $8.3 million in grant funding to complete Lincoln Depot Project. One million dollars of the funding was dedicated to the preservation of the firehouse to fulfill the DOT requirement.
4. As required by the grant, SHPO (N.Y. State Office of Historic Preservation) approved the location across the street (Lincoln Plaza) after careful review and assurance of its reuse as part of the Lincoln Depot Historic Site. Both archeological and environmental studies were conducted as required by law, taking considerable city time and expense to complete.
5. N.Y. State DOT obtained possession of the privately owned firehouse in late fall 2007. The city was ready to move forward with the relocation in 2008 as agreed. Inexplicably, the new administration delayed contacting the utility companies and movers, thus jeopardizing the project. The building could and should already be in its new location on the Lincoln Plaza.
6. The present administration has created a smokescreen by manipulating the grant language, saying other locations must be considered, a process that was completed two years ago! The grant states that the building must remain within 500 feet of its original location. The Lincoln Depot Plaza site falls within that requirement. The buildings compliment each other; they were built close to the same time and from similar materials. All sight line issues were also addressed at that time. The firehouse would contain the required visitors’ center and administrative offices for the Depot Foundation. It would include historic Peekskill firemanic memorabilia, especially from the Centennial Company. Utilizing the firehouse was an obvious choice because it prevents the need for constructing a new building on the site. There is a $350,000 NYS EPF Grant in place for this.
7. Four members of the present council were also members of the previous council who unanimously approved the present plan. Of the four, only Councilwoman Pisani continues to support the plan that took four to five years to develop. No one raised any concerns about the plaza relocation site during that entire time.
8. It is clear that the plan is to thwart the hard work of many individuals who developed this project. Changing the plan will mean the destruction of the building and the loss of millions of dollars in funding. These funds are project and site-specific and cannot be reassigned.
9. SHPO and DOT recently stated they were not informed about the change of plans and expressed the folly in such an action. SHPO will not approve another location and will not allow the grant funds to be used. Also, a new site would mean at least three years of warehousing the building on cribbing and a second move to whatever location is selected. Experts laugh at this idea and emphatically state that the building will not survive. Importantly, the costs incurred with this ridiculous plan will not be covered by the grant and will rest on the shoulders of the local taxpayer. The city would need to purchase property with local taxpayer funds, removing it from the tax rolls.
10. Time is running out. The building must be moved across the street now and restoration must begin. There is no other honest course of action that has any hope for success. To begin the discussion as if the previous planning never happened is disingenuous. To say that other locations need to be considered is foolish!
11. It is obvious what the community wants. Many individuals have expressed their desire to see the firehouse restored on the Lincoln Depot site. Major community groups such as the Lincoln Society and Historic Peekskill Inc. have publically expressed the same support. In fact, Historic Peekskill, Inc. has taken extraordinary steps to point out the facts, and had outreach to officials in the N.Y. State DOT and SHPO offices to confirm that the plans are in place and why they must be followed. Unfortunately, this input has been completely ignored by the mayor and council majority.
It is not truthful for anyone to portray that the choice was not officially made for the relocation of the firehouse. There is no legitimate reason for changing the plan. When asked why they will not follow the approved plan, the mayor and council members give no answer. The question remains, if the plan for the firehouse is changed at the 11th hour, what is the future for the entire project? There is a $1.135 million Empire State Development Grant in place for the plaza. Are those plans going to be allowed to continue, or is the real plan to prevent the entire project from being completed?
The approved project should be implemented immediately. The plan and money are in place but it seems the Foster Administration’s will is not.
John Testa is the former mayor of Peekskill
To view the rest of this content please Login.
If you aren’t registered you can Register now, it’s easy and free!
|
| |
Top |
|
