The Village of Islandia board of trustees has approved plans for a medical and industrial gas storage warehouse on the site of a former truck repair garage.

New Hampshire-based Airgas East Inc. plans to operate what will be its first Long Island facility, at 195 Oval Dr.

The board last week voted 4-1, with Mayor Allan M. Dorman dissenting, to approve the project's final site plan and a request for a land use change to allow for outside storage on the 126,720-square-foot industrial site.

"I just don't want them in here," Dorman said. "It's just a personal vote." He declined to comment further.

Atmospheric gases -- such as liquid oxygen, argon, nitrogen and liquid carbon dioxide -- as well as flammables such as propane and acetylene -- will be stored inside and outside the 28,375-square-foot building, which was built in 1988.

Airgas officials said they couldn't specify a timeline for the project to be completed.

They also declined to put a price tag on the project.

The company, which provides services for hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and metal fabrication businesses, has served Long Island from locations in the Bronx, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Airgas has more than 15,000 employees at more than 1,100 locations, Doug Sherman, a spokesman for the company said, adding that the company expects to hire about 30 people to work at the Islandia site.

"If, for any reason, God forbid, we were cut off from Long Island [because of an emergency], we figured it was time to establish a location on Long Island," Sherman said.

An attorney representing Airgas told trustees during a June board meeting that an impact study indicated the facility would not have a "significant negative impact" on the environment, nor harm traffic, air quality, ground surface water quality or existing vegetation.

Company officials agreed to install additional security safeguards that fire department officials requested, including lighting and concrete enforcements around the outside storage.

No village residents testified during a recent public hearing.

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