A renovation to make Williston Park’s fire house more accessible is making good progress, village officials said at Monday’s Board of Trustees meeting.
Workers are installing a new elevator, revamping second-floor bathrooms and putting in a new shower so the house is better equipped for public meetings and emergencies, Mayor Paul Ehrbar said.
He added that it will make it easier for firefighters, particularly those who are older, to navigate the building.
“The benefit will be to the whole community,” Ehrbar said.
The village took up the project, Ehrbar said, after hearing a number of complaints that the building was not compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and needed to be brought up to code.
The $600,000 elevator is funded by a $400,000 bond initiative and a $250,000 state grant secured with the help of state Sen. Jack Martins (R-Mineola).
Construction started just after Labor Day and is expected to be finished in February.
Keith Bunnell, the village’s public works superintendent, said the project is “going along very well” — workers have finished underground work on the elevator and are almost done with the bathrooms.
In addition to making the building accessible to disabled residents, Trustee Christine Thomann said, the renovations make the fire house an accessible gathering place and emergency shelter in case of an emergency.
