SARANAC LAKE — The village has received an analysis of how the proposed public safety building at 33 Petrova Ave. could impact the village budget and taxpayers, and the board will hold a work session on the document at its meeting on Monday.

The tax impact analysis has been asked for by some trustees for a while. It estimates the impact the loans the village could take out would have on the tax rate for homeowners.

The plan to combine the emergency departments at 33 Petrova has been contentious among neighbors and others in the community, who from the beginning have opposed the size, cost and location of the building.

The state limits the amount of debt municipalities can carry to 7% of the combined full valuation of its taxable properties. For Saranac Lake, that cap is around $25.4 million. If the village takes out the majority of that debt for the EMS building project, opponents say this would leave the village with less credit for other projects and a large bond. Even if it’s paid for over many years, this could increase property taxes and strain other departments, opponents say.

The combined complex for Saranac Lake’s fire, rescue and police departments was estimated to cost $27.5 million several years ago, but will likely cost more now due to inflation.

The village will have a down payment of up to $8 million in grant money and saved-up fund money to put toward that cost, and would then pay off the rest over a long period of time through loans called bonds.

However, a lot is still up in the air. The final estimated cost of the proposed project, how much the project could get in grants and how much the village would need to bond for is all unknown.

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The numbers

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The analysis by Fiscal Advisors and Marketing Inc. includes a range of potential loans in increments of $5 million — from $5 million to $30 million — either for 30 years with an interest rate of 4.5% or 25 years with an interest rate of 4.35%. There’s less of an annual budget and tax rate impact with the 30-year loan, but the overall cost would be higher because of the higher interest rate. There’s less overall cost with a 25-year loan, but a higher annual impact.

If the village takes out a $5 million loan for 30 years with the higher interest rate, that would have a $311,034 impact on the annual budget for 30 years. The village would end up paying $8,983,950 in total.

This would increase the tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value by $0.81. For a home assessed at $300,000, this would be a tax increase of $243.60 per year.

If the $5 million loan was taken out for the 25-year option with the lower interest rate, it would have a $340,490 impact on the annual budget for 25 years. The village would end up paying $8,126,260 in total.

This would increase the tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value by $0.89. For a home assessed at $300,000, this would be a tax increase of $265.80 per year.

If the village takes out a $30 million loan for 30 years with the higher interest rate, that would have a $1,867,666 impact on the annual budget for 30 years. The village would end up paying $53,944,650 in total.

This would increase the tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value by $4.88. For a home assessed at $300,000, this would be a tax increase of $1,464 per year.

If the $30 million loan was taken out for the 25-year option with the lower interest rate, it would have a $2,043,787 impact on the annual budget for 25 years. The village would end up paying $48,767,095 in total.

This would increase the tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value by $5.34. For a home assessed at $300,000, this would be a tax increase of $1,600.50 per year.

The full analysis can be found at tinyurl.com/y2nn7vcv.

Trustee Aurora White felt the report was incomplete and should have listed the tax rate for each of the three towns the village sits inside of and say whether the village can afford to take on certain levels of debt.

The village can only raise taxes around $100,000 each year, White said, which would all go toward this bond payment increase.

Right now, with this size, with this cost, it’s impossible to afford, she believes.

Mark Wilson, a neighbor of 33 Petrova and a critic of the project, pointed out that the impact analysis should also include how much it will cost to maintain and operate the new building. He said this will have a huge impact on every village budget moving forward.

Mayor Jimmy Williams believes that, cumulatively, the annual operation and maintenance costs for this planned new facility could be less than the current three separate buildings would cost over that time span. A new building will be much more energy efficient and have fewer repairs, he said.

The existing facilities are all in 100-year-old buildings. If the departments were to stay in them long-term, they’d need new roofs, heating systems, repairs and insulation, he said.

Trustee Matt Scollin said the project is going to be really expensive. There’s no way around it. But he said these are lifesaving services they’re supporting.

Williams said the board will have to make some tough decisions.

He said they have to get this done. The project to get the departments better homes has been put off for 40 years, he said.

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Funds and frustration

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Williams said that the village should have around $8 million in saved money and grants on hand for the project. White said since this grant money is mostly in the form of reimbursements, it’s not really “on hand.” They have to spend money to get that money. If they can’t afford to spend the money, they can’t afford to get the grant money, she said.

“There is still time to fundraise,” Williams said. “And in that time, we’re going through our design process.”

He’s previously said he is “100% confident” the village will get more state and federal grants. Some, he said, cannot be applied for until the village has more plans drawn up.

Williams said they might not be able to start construction right away after the design phase is done. They might have to fundraise for a while to lower the loan amount.

The building proposed at 33 Petrova has had a rough floor plan of almost 69,000 square feet, though that is likely to change.

Leadership at the fire, rescue and police departments has been working with the architectural consultants to cut down the footprint of the building by around 10,000 square feet, removing anything that was not determined to be essential, according to Williams.

Because the building is the former St. Pius X High School, they are working with a set footprint of a high school, adapting it to fit three emergency service departments.

The plans for the project were first announced in 2023. The village purchased the land at 33 Petrova from Citizen Advocates in January 2024 for $350,000. Currently, the fire and rescue departments are at 100 Broadway and the police station is at the former Army National Guard armory on state Route 3.

The police are at the armory through an agreement with the state — not a lease, per se — which was done temporarily to make room at the department’s former 1-3 Main St. building for a potential move of the Adirondack Park Agency headquarters from Ray Brook to that building in downtown Saranac Lake. There’s been debate over whether the state would or could let the police stay at the armory permanently.

White said she’d prefer to build a “right-sized,” $12 million fire hall at 33 Petrova Ave., move the rescue squad into the fire station, find a way to have the police stay at the armory where they are temporarily now and use the rest of 33 Petrova for housing, setting some aside for volunteers.

Currently, the Petrova building is sized at having a 38,890-square-foot first floor with a 24,235-square-foot crawl space. Initial plans called for around 30,000 square feet of garage additions.

The three departments currently take up 17,746 square feet in their separate locations. The consultants put the estimated space needed for the three departments in the next 20 years — to improve their current situations and be prepared for the future of emergency response — at 67,000 square feet. The building proposed at 33 Petrova has had a rough floor plan of almost 69,000 square feet, though that is likely to change.

Trustee Sean Ryan said the village can build for growth or for its current size.

The plans show 18 dorm rooms for firefighters, drivers and EMS; 17 toilets and three kitchens.

Some on the board say the St. Pius X location is the only place in the village to fit the emergency services departments. Their consultants tell them it’s not feasible for the departments to grow in their existing locations, and department leaders agree.

The discussion drifted into several different topics and began spiraling, with White and Williams arguing over various parts of the project and interrupting each other as a tense mood fell over the board.

Ryan said he was frustrated that they had stopped talking about the tax impact analysis and started making it about each other.

“Once again, we go ’round and ’round,” he said. “I shouldn’t be the youngest person here with the least amount of experience and trying to be the most professional. It’s disheartening.”

Ryan, a member of the Saranac Lake Volunteer Rescue Service, said if they don’t act on building improved facilities for their emergency service volunteers, they’ll eventually lose them. The village cannot afford to have a paid fire department or rescue squad, he said.

To get the project done, they’ll need to have cool heads, he added.

“I feel like we’re really still fighting about the location,” Scollin said. “No one wants to admit that.”

White said that’s not true. She feels 33 Petrova is a fine location, but that the building should be right-sized for fiscal responsibility.

Last summer, the village board approved a $340,000 contract with the architecture firm Wendel Architecture, Engineering, Surveying and Landscape Architecture for design work as part of a broader $1.78 million contract.

The work session on Monday will be at the board meeting, which starts at 5 p.m. in the upstairs board room of the Harrietstown Town Hall. It will also be streamed on Zoom at tinyurl.com/y5czzj5x or by using the meeting ID 820 0602 0765.