The Riverhead Fire District is asking voters to approve $4.5 million in bonds to fund the purchase of a new ladder truck and upgrades to its communications equipment during a special election on Tuesday.
The proposal includes two separate ballot measures: one for $3 million to purchase the new ladder truck, and another for $1.5 million to replace and upgrade the district’s radio communications system. Voting will take place from 3 to 9 p.m. at the Riverhead Fire Department headquarters on Roanoke Avenue.
The bonds would last 15 years and paid off as debt service in the fire district’s budget starting in 2028, according to John Tradeski, chairman of the board of fire commissioners.
“Replacement of fire apparatus is critical, especially as downtown Riverhead continues to develop at a rapid pace,” Tradeski said in statement. “[Industrial Development Agency] tax abatements, particularly for large projects, limit the revenue share the Fire District sees, which poses a challenge to budgeting for replacement equipment.”
The $1.5 million for communications upgrades would be used to replace all active radio systems and upgrade communication infrastructure in areas of the district where communications is currently unreliable, according to fire district secretary Caitlin Buthmann. The upgrades will also improve communications when Riverhead firefighters are providing mutual aid to other fire departments, she said.
The Riverhead Fire District contracts with the Riverhead Fire Department to provide emergency fire response services in roughly half of the geography of Riverhead Town, including the hamlets of Riverhead, Aquebogue, Baiting Hollow and parts of Calverton. It also provides services to the hamlet of Riverside and part of Northampton in Southampton Town, and parts of Calverton in Brookhaven Town.
For a home with an assessed value of $45,000, the anticipated tax increase in Riverhead Town is $30, in Southampton Town is $16 and in Brookhaven Town is $27, according to Tradeski.
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