Voters In Bridgehampton Fire District Overwhelmingly Approve Pulver Gas Parcel Purchase

Bridgehampton Fire District residents voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday night in favor of a $3.9 million purchase of a neighboring parcel of property that currently houses the Pulver Gas Company.

The 138-20 vote clears the way for the district to acquire the Montauk Highway property. District officials have long viewed the property as a solution to limited space at the current School Street headquarters.

There are currently no specific plans to renovate the building on the property or to build a new structure. Officials have said those plans would come at a later date.

“It’s been a long road, and everybody’s really happy,” Bridgehampton Fire District Board of Commissioners Chairman Steve Halsey said minutes after the tally. “It’s good for the community, it’s good for the department, and it’s good for the fire district.”

Fire district officials have said the purchase of the long-coveted property would allow them to potentially expand the firehouse, although exact plans haven’t been identified for the half-acre site. The Pulver Gas company will continue to lease the land for the next two years.

The district shelved a nearly $8 million project to renovate its current headquarters because of economic concerns. The total financial impact of the $3.9 million acquisition depends on whether the district chooses to borrow the money over 15 years or 20 years, and on what interest rate the district will obtain. Residents with homes assessed at $1 million can expect to pay somewhere between $25.69 and $27.37 each year for the purchase, if it’s paid in 15 years. Under a 20-year bond, the annual impact would range between $20.82 and $22.44.

Members of the Bridgehampton Citizens Advisory Committee have criticized the purchase in recent months, claiming that fire district officials gave little public notice and suggested they tried to rush a purchase through. Bridgehampton CAC Chairman Fred Cammann, who was originally one of the plan’s critics, said he had a change of heart after the district delivered a compelling presentation at a public hearing last Friday. He cast a vote in favor of the purchase.

“They presented it as an economic thing,” Mr. Cammann said. “It really is a good deal. The valuation of property in Bridgehampton is so big that the impact on taxpayers is practically nil. It’s clear that they need some expansion room. Do they need it right this hour? No. But they needed it upcoming and they certainly weren’t going to get a chance to get this property again.”

One member of the community group still wasn’t won over. Stephen R. Steinberg, vice chairman of the Bridgehampton CAC, said some community members still weren’t happy with the way the fire commissioners sought approval for the plan.

“Our problem was not second-guessing the commissioners, whether they need the space,” Mr. Steinberg said. “Our problem from the beginning was their failure to explain it, justify it or provide backup. It’s a communications problem. And I think the community is entitled to more. And possibly since there is a seat [on the Bridgehampton Fire District Board of Commissioners] open in December, the community will be able to become more active in the fire commission.”

At the polls on Tuesday night, community members said they saw the purchase as an opportunity for the fire district that would allow for desperately needed expansion.

“They’re going to need it, and they’re not going to get another chance at it,” said Bridgehampton resident Grover Gatewood. “To me, it seems idiotic to vote against the future.”

Former fire chiefs and current Bridgehampton Fire Chief Richard Thayer also came out to vote in favor of the acquisition.

“It’s almost like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said former chief Jim Walker of Bridgehampton. “I feel the district is thinking progressively in the future.”