Smithtown fire district closer to expansion

The Smithtown Fire District hopes to break ground in May on a $2.5 million expansion of its Plymouth Boulevard firehouse, a district official said yesterday.

The expansion got a boost last week when the Smithtown Town Board approved a property-rights deal allowing the addition of a meeting room as part of the expansion.

The project awaits approval by the county Health Department, and a town building permit before construction can begin, said Smithtown fire commissioner Tom Buffa.

“We’re optimistic at this point,” he said.

The expansion, including a new ambulance bay but no meeting room, had been approved two years ago by the town board. The district then asked to add the room, but the town said the property didn’t have enough sewage capacity.

To compensate, fire district officials have agreed to pay $65,750 for credits from the town’s density flow rights bank. The program sells development rights for undeveloped land to owners of properties that lack sewage capacity. In this case, the fire district is buying rights to a vacant Main Street parcel owned by the Smithtown Historical Society, town planning director Frank DeRubeis said.

The cost of the expansion will be covered by departmental reserve funds, district officials have said.