Mr. Kroll's letter regarding the proposed Jericho firehouse is replete with misrepresentations and omissions of fact. Mr. Kroll claims that I attacked the fire department and its personnel, which is false. I was born and raised in Jericho, graduated from Jackson Elementary and Jericho High School, and have never said one negative thing about anyone associated with our fire department. I can remember decades ago when my family campaigned for Vito Nastasi when he ran successfully for fire chief or Commissioner. Moreover, my parents have voluntarily donated money to the fire department for over 40 years. There is nothing uniquely impressive about Mr. Kroll's Jericho pedigree.

While Mr. Kroll claims that I attacked the fire department and its personnel, he cannot point to a single statement that I made that attacks anything or anyone. My letter simply raised questions about the proposed firehouse, and anyone who read my letter objectively would have seen that I never took the position that the proposed firehouse should not be built.

What I wrote was that "the public has the right to know more about the proposed firehouse and its need before its plans are implemented". It seems that Mr. Kroll wants to divert attention from whether sufficient information has been disclosed about the proposed firehouse to whether the integrity of the fire department is in question. Perhaps Mr. Kroll is so defensive because he is the treasurer of the Jericho Fire Department. Mr. Kroll's defensiveness amounts to an admission that the issues raised in "Firehouse or Playhouse" are valid, and I will address each issue that Mr. Kroll raised.

I stated, "Jericho residents in effect are being asked to pay a special tax for a new firehouse." Mr. Kroll says that statement is untrue. Mr. Kroll's duplicity is appalling.

The money slated for the new firehouse will come from the capital reserve fund. Mr. Kroll conveniently fails to state where the money in the capital reserve fund comes from. Did it magically appear there? Or did it come from the residents of Jericho? On the one hand Mr. Kroll stated that it is untrue that Jericho residents' taxes will be used to pay for the new firehouse, on the other hand he said that Jericho residents "will not be paying one additional penny in taxes". In other words, Mr. Kroll admitted that the funds in the capital reserve fund came from our prior taxes. According to Mr. Kroll's logic, it makes no difference if the capital reserve funds are spent wisely since those taxes have already been collected. So despite Mr. Kroll's attempt to obfuscate the issue, the fact is that the new firehouse would be paid with our tax money, and it is a fiction when he says that our tax money is not being used for that purpose.

I asked, "Do any towns the same size as Jericho have three firehouses? Do they even have two firehouses?" The fact is that Mr. Kroll failed to answer either question, even though they are very simple ones. Could it be that Mr. Kroll failed to answer if any town the size of Jericho has three firehouses, or two firehouses and a third "administrative building" because the answer is no? Could it be that Mr. Kroll didn't even bother to find out the answer? Could it be that other fire districts the size of Jericho have determined that one firehouse is sufficient? The number of firehouses in similarly sized communities is an objective fact. It appears that because Mr. Kroll was unable to concoct a fiction in response to the question, he purposely ignored it.

Mr. Kroll implicitly argues that the proposed firehouse is needed because the Jericho Fire Department responds to 1,000 calls a year. Once again, Mr. Kroll failed to answer the salient questions. Mr. Kroll failed to state what, if any, evidence exists that the location of the proposed firehouse would reduce the time it would take to respond to a call. Mr. Kroll also failed to state what evidence, if any, exists that the two current firehouses have been failing to provide adequate protection for the community. Once again, It appears that because Mr. Kroll was unable to answer the relevant questions, he purposely ignored them.

At the Oct. 10, board of fire commissioners meeting, Commissioner Munafo unequivocally stated that response time is not the reason why the new firehouse is needed, rather, extra space for larger vehicles is the reason. When asked why the existing firehouse could not be expanded, Commissioner Munafo stated that the Jericho Jewish Center and not the fire district owns the land in back of the firehouse. However, when I asked the commissioners if they had contacted the Jericho Jewish Center to see if it was interested in selling some of their land, the commissioners admitted that they had not. Thereafter, Saundra Bernstein, who also attended the meeting, asked the commissioners if they had first considered obtaining the land in back of the firehouse through eminent domain, which she said was the same way that the land for the proposed firehouse had been obtained. Commissioner Munafo stated that the board had rejected that option.

Mr. Kroll stated that the library "is a room set aside for fire and EMS personnel to study", and will contain computers, a table and publications. The fact is that the public library provides those items. Mr. Kroll's fiction is that the firehouse library is needed.

The ostensible need for the proposed firehouse is that more space is needed. If space for the fire district is at such a premium, then why is it being used for a private library when public resources and facilities are already available? What makes the public library an inadequate place to study? What makes a person's home an inadequate place to study? Mr. Kroll has offered no valid justification why the private library is necessary.

Nowhere in his letter does Mr. Kroll say anything whatsoever about the space that has been set aside in the proposed firehouse for the bar area. Why is it that Mr. Kroll completely failed to address that issue? Mr. Kroll does not even attempt to explain why it is necessary for the proposed firehouse to sport a bar area. Could it be that that there is no legitimate need for a bar area? Most importantly, Mr. Kroll failed to answer the question whether we want volunteers responding to emergencies after drinking alcohol in the bar area. Mr. Kroll calls the catering area "no more than a meeting room with a kitchen attached." Mr. Kroll failed to mention the size of the meeting room and kitchen facility. Mr. Kroll failed to mention how many people the catering area can accommodate. The fact is that Mr. Kroll failed to provide any explanation as to why the catering area is needed. Mr. Kroll's only justification for the catering area is that members of the Jericho Fire Department went to the firehouse on September 11, 2001. Mr. Kroll's exploiting the events of 9/11 in order to justify constructing a catering area is disgusting and he should be ashamed of himself. Mr. Kroll admitted that the proposed firehouse would have a gym for its members' exclusive use. The fact is that according to the Office of the New York State Comptroller, space in a firehouse cannot be partitioned off for the exclusive recreational or social use of volunteer firemen.

The money that residents have paid into the capital reserve fund of the fire district, whether through taxes or donations, are not to be spent in an arbitrary and capricious manner. At the Oct. 10 board of fire commissioners meeting, the Board agreed to have a public meeting regarding the plans for the proposed firehouse. During the Commissioner's meeting, one board member stated that the proposed firehouse would have no effect on property values. When I asked him what facts supported his statement, the commissioner said that it was simply his opinion. When I then asked the commissioner if he had discussed the matter with any real estate professional, such as a broker, salesperson or appraiser, he admitted that he never did. This is the type of thought process that apparently reflects the thought process behind the proposed firehouse. As none of the commissioners live in East Birchwood it seems that the effect that the proposed firehouse would have on property values was not really considered. Moreover, none of the letters that were written by Mr. Kroll's cronies were by residents who live in East Birchwood either, but rather, they all live in White Birch.

It should be noted that Commissioner Milner has stated that he does not believe the proposed firehouse is necessary. It is unclear why the reasons underlying Commissioner Milner's opposition to the proposed firehouse have been ignored.

While the commissioners contend that the board has complied with all legally required disclosures, the fact is that most residents are unaware that a board of fire commissioners even exists or what it does. I am glad to see that "Firehouse or Playhouse" has facilitated a dialogue that is increasing community awareness about the proposed firehouse. Perhaps now more people will learn about the facts and why Commissioner Milner has expressed his opposition to the proposed firehouse. As a result of this increased dialogue, I was happy to hear at the Oct. 10, board meeting that the commissioners are now willing to listen to the concerns of the entire community regarding the proposed firehouse. I would encourage all residents of Jericho to attend the next meeting.

Jeffrey Delott