TOWN OF POUGHKEEPSIE – The Fairview Fire District Board of Commissioners is asking the public to approve an $8.8 million bond on Tuesday for the renovation and reconstruction of their outdated firehouse on Violet Avenue. The current firehouse was built in 1948 when the district had no professional firefighter/EMT personnel and no ambulances in the station. The district has experienced substantial growth and change since the station was built, leading to the need for upgrades, according to the commissioners.
The voters in the 4.5-square-mile district that encompasses parts of the towns of Hyde Park and Poughkeepsie can vote on the multi-million dollar bond on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. at the firehouse at 258 Violet Avenue in Poughkeepsie. Voters will also be electing one fire commissioner to a five-year term. The construction bond will have an initial cost to taxpayers of $8.13 per $100,000 of assessed value. The total project is expected to cost $9.6 million, with the district using $800,000 of its building reserve fund to offset the total cost, reducing the taxpayer payment to $7.45 per $100,000 of full value.
The Fairview Fire District is unlike any other district in the area, with 54 percent of the properties in the tax-exempt category. The result is traditionally higher fire taxes in the district when compared to other area departments. Tax-exempt facilities in the district include Dutchess Community College, Marist College, MidHudson Regional Hospital, and the Dutchess County Stabilization Center. Census data, according to Fire Chief Tim Gilnack, says there are approximately 2,200 residential dwellings in the district, accounting for approximately 10,000 residents. Marist College contributes approximately $250,000 to the district annually, with at least $100,000 earmarked for the building construction fund. With the Marist contributions, Gilnack noted, the total cost of the bond for the…
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