Letters

Our family has been on Upper Seven Ponds Road for 35 years. It is a quiet residential area with small, classic homes, many of a bygone era, and others designed to blend in to maintain the character of the neighborhood. We are a short walk to the historical center of Water Mill shops, passing the old water mill that our hamlet was named for.

The proposed fire substation is totally out of character with this area, which seems to be of a different age. We have few neighborhoods like this remaining, and once gone they can never be replaced.

We are sure that others will speak better about the hazards associated with volunteers rushing to the station to be on call. They will be traveling at speed on our street, which is very often used by bikers and joggers, as it is a popular route from the farmland to the hamlet.

What is most concerning are the environmental risks associated with the firehouse. The property is not just near wetlands — it is wetlands. One acre of the property is wetlands. These wetlands are part of the Mill Pond waterway and flow past the historic Water Mill.

The property borders the new park being built along the highway, and only the railroad tracks separate the properties. The new park has as its centerpiece the very pond that the fire substation wetlands empty into on its way to Mecox Bay.

We are confident that a study will be prepared by experts that will show there is no risk of contamination as long as all procedures are followed. This substation will be required to store toxic chemicals needed to extinguish electric car fires, as well as other volatile liquid fires. These chemicals represent a clear danger to the waterway. No one is perfect, and accidents do happen — that is why they are called accidents.

This is not an appropriate location for the fire substation, so please email the Town Board and the Town Planning Board immediately and let them know your thoughts. This project has been hidden from local residents until now, and they have already presented architectural plans to the Town Planning Board for building approval.

The people making this proposal must reconsider and choose a different location for the fire substation. Upper Seven Ponds Road does not work for a variety of reasons. We do not need this risk to Mill Pond and Mecox Bay.

John C. Higdon

Kathleen M. Higdon

Water Mill