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Community Corner

Greenwich BET Debates Funding for Design of King Street Station

The Greenwich Board of Estimate and Taxation will resume its deliberations on a funding request of $175,000 for the design of the proposed King Street station at its Feb. 21 meeting, according to a report in the Greenwich Time.

The Greenwich Board of Estimate and Taxation bid adieu to four incumbents, including two of its longest-serving members, Republican Chairman Stephen Walko and Democrat Larry Simon, in addition to Republican Jim Campbell and Democrat Bill Kelly, during its meeting at Town Hall Monday, in a major changing of the guard following the , but not without first deliberating on a $175,000 funding request for the design of the proposed King Street fire station.

As reported in the Greenwich Time, the Town purchased a 2.5-acre former residential property at 1327 King Street for about $1.3 million in 2004 to build a northwest fire station, but the project is yet to come to fruition. Several members of the BET reportedly expressed concern that the project cost was escalating with the latest estimate for the design of the facility. In addition an unforseen cost has reportedly arisen with the need to redesign the driveway and parking lot of the municipally-owned , located next door, for safety reasons, increasing the cost by about another $600,000, according to the report.

According to the report, the Town had hoped to complete the facility by 2011-12. The original plan calls for the Town to hire 16 new firefighters. Altogether the project would reportedly cost taxpayers about $2.2 million in construction and $1.2 million annually in salaries, benefits and operating expenses.

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