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Elevator plan okayed for Heights firehouse, external vertical lift will make second floor more accessible

BEVERLEA WALZ PHOTO | An exterior elevator will be erected on the side of the Heights firehouse.

The second floor of the Shelter Island Heights Firehouse will soon become accessible to those unable to climb its stairs. A variance permitting the installation of an external vertical lift was granted by the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals late last month. As a result, the department will be able to proceed with the installation of the lift on the west side of the building so that people who are in wheelchairs, or anyone else who needs assistance, can easily reach the upper level meeting room.

Providing access to the second floor has proved a long process for the department. According to Fire Commissioner Keith Clark, installing an interior elevator was “out of the question” due to the minimum estimated cost of $200,000 and the difficulty of finding room for it in the old building.

“We then looked into installing a chair lift on the outdoor staircase but that would have narrowed the stairs and made them more difficult to use and a chair lift is still not truly handicapped accessible, so that idea wasn’t working for us,” said Mr. Clark. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) specifies that a person with physical limitations must be able to access a facility and its resources independently. A chair lift, according to Mr. Clark, would have necessitated the help of another party.

The idea of a vertical lift surfaced and the commissioners began researching the system and found it to be cost effective, fully ADA compliant and capable of being installed along the exterior of the building. One simply walks or rolls onto the platform, which has a Plexiglass and aluminum enclosure, and “you push the button and it takes you up,” explained Mr. Clark. “We looked at several [vertical lift] installations and liked what we saw. It’s simple and certainly more affordable.”

The lift is also “not invasive” to the firehouse structure, said Mr. Clark. “It will ride up the west wall as a free-standing unit. We’ll pop out the center window that’s there now and install a door for access.”

The Fire Department had originally hoped to have the installation done last winter but realized that permits and ultimately a sideyard setback variance would be needed before work commenced. Patricia Shillingburg, a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), said a variance was needed because the external lift encroached upon the specified setbacks in the Heights Double A zone.

“The variance was granted,” said Ms. Shillingburg. “There was no discussion, no objections and no discussion as to where else it could be placed. The Heights (HPOC) also wrote a letter of approval.”

According to Fire Department Treasurer Amber Williams, the lift is manufactured by Northern Lifts in Ontario, Canada and will cost $36,950. The expenditure will come out of the department’s operating budget, which is supported by fire district taxpayers. Some additional work will take place, which will raise the total cost slightly, said Mr. Clark. He cited the installation of a handicapped parking spot and a landscaped walkway to reach the staircase.

With the variance being the last step in the paperwork process, Mr. Clark said he hopes that work will begin within the month but declined to estimate a completion date pending a schedule from the vendor.

Elevators are slowly being added to Shelter Island’s public spaces that predate the ADA ruling. Our Lady of the Isle Church installed a small unit late last year to allow access between the sanctuary and the lower level meeting room. The Shelter Island Public Library has plans to include an elevator in the renovation of its lower level which is scheduled to commence this fall.

According to Fire Commissioner Larry Lechmanski, the building became the Heights firehouse in 1895 but was constructed “well before that.” The second floor was added in two stages: an engine room in 1973 and the meeting room in 1983, both before the adoption of the ADA in 1990.

The lift is the first step in making the second floor fully accessible, he said. “If money allows, we are hoping to add a rest room and storage area to the second floor. Without a rest room up there, we really can’t claim to be completely handicapped accessible.