by Bea Peterson
The anticipation is over for members of the Hoosick Fire Department. On Tuesday evening 116 people voted on whether the Department should purchase the former Haynes Ford property on Route 7.
The site consists of 6.5 acres and two buildings. The cost is $625,000. The vote was 70 yes and 46 no. Hoosick Fire Chief Bill Rifenburgh, Jr. said, “It was a good cross section of the community. I’m glad people showed up. Regardless of the vote, it’s good they came out.” It’s the largest voter turnout the District has ever had. Fire Commission Chairman Bob Breese was surprised at the large turnout. “It’s almost double the number we’ve had for previous elections,” he said. Most times the Department feels lucky if 30 people vote on an issue.
“The largest turnout we had,” said Breese, “was the public hearing in 2005 when we wanted to expand this fire house. Sixty people attended.”
Breese and Rifenburgh said they anticipate the move to the new building will take place the first part of November. “We have to get the money, have an engineering assessment of the building, and I have to make another trip to the Planning Board,” said Breese.
Referring again to the 2005 public hearing Breese said, “They told us to go look somewhere else and that’s what we did.”