At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 30 at the main firehouse on East Marie Street, the Hicksville Fire District will present proposed plans for the rebuilding of Station 2.

Four of the five fire commissioners are anxious to go forward with these plans despite requests from the community to form a committee to address the many issues we have with this proposal. Because our initial request in June 2003 for the formation of a committee has been ignored, we have formed our own neighborhood committee in an effort to accomplish the following:

• To assess the need for a new Station 2 facility

• To review proposed rebuilding plans in terms of the potential impact on the community

• To evaluate the appropriateness of rebuilding Station 2 at another nearby location

• To address the Station 2 community relations problem

• To change the Hicksville Fire District's resistance to community input/involvement

• To select and support community-minded candidates to run for Fire Commissioner

• To eliminate the involvement of political parties in the campaigns to elect Fire Commissioners

We can only succeed in this endeavor with your help. We would be delighted to have you join our committee, but even if you do not have time to meet with us on a regular basis, we only ask that you attend this important meeting to show your support.

We want to be absolutely clear that we are very appreciative of the efforts of our volunteer firefighters. There are, however, very serious issues concerning leadership and use of taxpayer dollars that cannot be left unchecked.

The primary issue with the plan for the rebuilding of Station 2 is the tiny parcel of land where this substation now stands. This locale cannot support a larger building, would exacerbate the already significant parking problem and ultimately change the landscape of our neighborhood.

The Briggs Neighborhood Committee requested that the Hicksville Fire District investigate nearby available sites - locations that could better accommodate their ambitious plans. Among the suggestions for alternate building sites were more than a dozen brownfield sites obtained from Nassau County.

At a public meeting on Feb. 18, the fire commissioners and their architectural and engineering firm H2M, told residents that while several of the brownfield sites were feasible in terms of size and access to major roadways, these sites were considered unsuitable because they are outside of a pre-determined membership area. The only vacant property within the currently defined membership area of Station 2 is the Ronald Avenue sump which is being looked at by the fire commissioners.

In recent years several public officials have addressed Hicksville residents and suggested plans to effect change in our community, ideas and promises that have not materialized. What we are proposing here is very much within our power to accomplish by simply attending a meeting or two and making a few phone calls.

Your attendance at this meeting is important, whether you plan on sharing your ideas or choose to take a quiet approach. It is important to show our willingness to work together as a community toward an amicable solution.

The Briggs Neighborhood Committee