Three hundred people attended the official opening and ribbon-cutting of the Beacon central fire station at 1140 Wolcott Ave. on Nov. 16. The $14.7 million structure consolidates Beacon’s three fire stations — Tompkins Hose, Mase Hook and Ladder and Beacon Engine — into one location.
Type: News
News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Anthony Sarcone is a freelance photographer who grew up in Beacon and now lives in Poughkeepsie. He specializes in documentary photography and candid portraits. See more of his work at anthonysarcone.com.
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I was surprised and disappointed to see The Current’s limited coverage of the Nov. 16 dedication of the Beacon Fire Department’s new central station.
Nearly 300 community members attended the celebration, a historic event for the City of Beacon and a salute to our first responders past and present. Costing $14.7 million, the 17,000-square-foot facility is the largest capital project in the city’s history.
Beacon’s decades-long transition from three firehouses operated by volunteer companies to a central fire station with primarily career firefighters has spanned four mayoral administrations and at least nine City Councils. Over the years, scores of community leaders, along with experts and volunteer and career firefighting staff, have spent countless hours working to plan for the future of the Fire Department.
The fact that this day was so long in coming makes our community all the more proud of our new station. Many Beacon community members had watched the building take shape over the past two years and eagerly awaited the dedication and a chance to tour the facility.
I am a 32-year Beacon resident and I organized the committee that spent several months planning the dedication ceremony. Our committee members included Denise Doring VanBuren, president of the Beacon Historical Society; volunteer firefighters Tom DiCastro of Beacon Engine, Matthew Naughton, president of Mase Hook & Ladder Co. and Bill Plimley, president of Lewis Tompkins Hose Co.; Beacon Fire Department Chief Thomas Lucchesi; Chris White, Beacon city administrator, and Ben Swanson, assistant to the mayor.
We reached out to the community and received enthusiastic support and participation from a variety of organizations, including the Rev. John Rembert, pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church, a Beacon native, veteran and former Beacon City Council member; the Beacon Historical Society; veteran volunteer firefighters Dennis Lahey Sr., a 51-year veteran of Tompkins Hose and former Beacon fire chief, and Pat Kelliher, a 50-year veteran of Mase Hook & Ladder and honorary member of Beacon Professional Firefighters; Harold Delamater, commander of VFW Post 666; Mark Price and the Parks & Recreation Department; and Michael Manzi and the Highway Department.
In addition, firefighters Lt. Chris Donovan and Lt. Robert Simmonds, as well as active volunteer firefighter Brandon Travis of Mase Hook & Ladder, participated in the ceremony. Recently retired Beacon Fire Chief Gary Van Voorhis was an honored guest.
To help celebrate this auspicious occasion, we received greetings and personally welcomed U.S., state and local officials, including a citation from U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand; Brandon Gonzales from U.S. Congressman Pat Ryan’s Office; Kelly Allegra from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Hudson Valley Office, state Sen. Rob Rolison, Assembly Member Jonathan Jacobson, Dutchess County legislators Nick Page and Yvette Valdes-Smith, former mayors Randy Casales and Steve Gold, current and former City Council members and retired Dutchess County judge Peter Forman.
Events like this firehouse dedication occur once in a generation. Small municipalities across America are facing challenges like those confronting Beacon of aging facilities and declining volunteer firefighting resources. In this context, Beacon’s firehouse is a stunning achievement in improving public safety and infrastructure and a cause for celebration.
Given The Current’s recurring Looking Back feature on local history, you missed the opportunity to create the commemorative press coverage that this dedication deserved. Such coverage would become a historical record of this event.
Positive stories that bring our community together are rare and sorely needed in these times. By not covering this dedication, I feel you have not been listening to a broad section of our city residents and have missed the mark in your Beacon coverage.
Barrett is the wife of Mayor Lee Kyriacou.
For our coverage of the project, see highlandscurrent.org/firehouse.