Wallkill to break ground on new firehouse

Posted 7/15/20

After more than a decade of planning, the groundbreaking for the new Wallkill firehouse is expected in about a month according to Wallkill Fire District Commissioner Michael Croce.

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Wallkill to break ground on new firehouse

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After more than a decade of planning, the groundbreaking for the new Wallkill firehouse is expected in about a month according to Wallkill Fire District Commissioner Michael Croce.

The new firehouse would be located on the Borden family property across the street from John G. Borden Middle School. Once completed, the new firehouse would be around 17,500-square-feet and provide more office space for the Wallkill Fire District, an additional fire truck bay, plus more space for the training of current and future firefighters. Voters in the Wallkill Fire District voted Tuesday, March 24, 2019 for the new firehouse.

The new firehouse will take the place of the old firehouse on Central Avenue next to Shawangunk Town Hall that was built in 1964. The district has found that the firehouse has structural issues due to the age of the building.

The single-pane windows in the building’s meeting room also date back to 1964 and are not energy efficient, while the roof also needs replacing. The new firehouse could also provide additional parking for events at the middle school, as a crosswalk would have to be established across Route 208 to facilitate pedestrian travel between the two sites.

The new firehouse will cost about $7 million when completed and will impact district homeowners taxes based on their homes’ assessed value, Croce noted.

“I never thought I’d see the day where we’re actually gonna have a new house,” said Wallkill Fire Chief Nick Walker. “I’m very happy.”