Planning Board OK’d new Selkirk Fire HQ

SELKIRK — The Bethlehem Planning Board unanimously approved plans for a new 21,800-square-foot facility to serve as the Selkirk Fire District headquarters on Route 9W on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

The project involves constructing the new headquarters on a 73.8-acre parcel of land adjacent to A.W. Becker Elementary School, off Route 9W. The proposed fire station will include three double-deep garage bays, a radio room, decontamination and laundry facilities, an ADA-compliant bathroom, a community meeting room, district office space, training areas on a mezzanine level, and an exercise room.

The Selkirk Fire District presented its plans to the Planning Board, proposing to consolidate one of the district’s three existing stations into the new headquarters while maintaining the other two current stations.

The district’s three existing stations, built in 1928, 1952, and 1956, are now considered obsolete due to modern-day firefighter standards, including the need for larger vehicles, infrastructure to handle hazardous waste decontamination, and contemporary equipment, district officials said.

Initial plans called for closing at least two of the older stations, but Selkirk Fire Commissioner Dale Richter said there is too much demand to close the firehouse in South Bethlehem.

“We have too big of a fire load in South Bethlehem to actually close a station over there,” he told Planning Board members. “We’re going to close one [of the three] and build the new headquarters building. Then we will still have three buildings.”

Aaron Jackson, the project engineer from Lamont Engineers, explained that the project has undergone significant changes since its initial proposal, including adjustments due to the discovery of wetlands on the site. These changes involve the layout of driveways, stormwater management, and parking areas. The new design spreads out parking around the building instead of concentrating it in a single area.

The project has progressed through several review stages, with final approvals pending from the Army Corps of Engineers and the Town of Bethlehem’s engineering department.

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