Was Closed in '03:
Brooklyn Firehouse May Become School

By MEREDITH KOLODNER

The Brooklyn building that housed Engine Company 204 won't be sold in the next two decades, but a deal crafted to keep it in city hands has set off a debate over its future use.

BILL de BLASIO: School or firehouse okay.

Engine 204 was shut down in 2003 due to budget cuts, despite vocal community and union opposition. The Bloomberg administration had been considering selling the old firehouse to a private company, but a deal was announced last week under which the city will maintain ownership of the building and lease it for an unspecified community use.

UFT: A Nice Pre-K

Firefighter unions are hoping that the engine company could re-open, while United Federation of Teachers officials are pushing for a new pre-kindergarten space.

"Anything that went in there would be a lease and would leave open long-term options," said Brooklyn Councilman Bill de Blasio, who helped broker the deal. "It could have a public-safety or education purpose."

The agreement also allows for the sale of Engine 212 in Williamsburg, as long as it is developed for "community use." The City Council is expected to vote to approve the deal by the end of May.

STEVE CARBONE: Sees need for a re-opening.

"Converting this closed firehouse into a pre-k annex is not only a wonderful use of an empty, city-owned building," said UFT President Randi Weingarten in a statement, "but it is a good thing for our future."

UFOA Holds Out Hope

Firefighter union officials had a slightly different perspective. "Fire officers are very pleased that the Mayor seems to be keeping these buildings in the hands of the community," said Steve Carbone, the vice president of the Uniformed Fire Officers' Association. "By doing this, when that day comes, we'll be able to put fire trucks in them."

Both Council Member David Yassky and Mr. de Blasio said they would support using the building for an "educational purpose," while also indicating that the 10-year lease, with two possible five-year extensions, would allow for a re-opening of the firehouse in the future if community need grew.

STEVE CASSIDY: Demand increasing for fire service.

More Floors Possible

The Mayor's Office was doubtful about whether the 4,500-foot space was large enough to house a school. "It's being examined at the request of [Councilmen] Yassky and de Blasio," said mayoral spokesman Jason Post. "At first glance, it's too small for a school, but we're looking at it."

Mr. de Blasio's office said the zoning requirements for the area would allow the two-story building to rise to about 4-1/2 stories. If the entire building was for community use, it could potentially rise to eight stories, and it has space underneath that could be converted for use.

Pre-kindergarten regulations require 30 square feet per child, not including bathrooms or storage space, and the area must be on or near the first floor with access for disabled children. Education experts said that 4,500 square feet could create an appropriate space for at least 100 children, but that it would depend on the layout of the firehouse.

Arguing for the building to re-open as a working firehouse, Mr. Carbone noted that the number of fire incidents in the city has risen from 426,542 in 2002 to 484,954 last year, even as six fire companies were closed. He also cited Fire Department figures that showed average response time to structural fires had increased from 4 minutes and 13 seconds to 4 minutes and 29 second in the same period.

Development Planned

"It is obvious that the increase in demand for fire services is directly related to the population increase over the years," Uniformed Firefighters' Association President Steve Cassidy said in a statement, "and it is preposterous to think that it will not continue." About 20,000 new housing units are planned in the area surrounding Engine 204, including development near the Gowanus Canal corridor, the 4th Ave. re-zoning area and the Atlantic Yards project, according to Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, who said that the growth may lead to the need for increased fire protection.

But members of the Community Education Council in District 15, which replaced the old community school board, are pushing hard for a pre-kindergarten facility.

"I want to make a special plea for pre-k," said CEC President Mary-Powel Thomas. "The state is giving us $99 million [statewide] for pre-k, but it's not going to do us any good if we don't have any place to hold the classes."

The elementary school zoned for Engine 204's block has 22 children on a waiting list for its pre-k program. The three next-closest schools, P.S. 32, 146 and 261, also have pre-k waiting lists.

Task Force Set Up

Ms. Thomas noted that in the Sunset Park neighborhood, an early childhood center located in a community church has become a sort of pre-k annex for four neighborhood elementary schools.

A task force has been set up with Mr. de Blasio, Mr. Yassky, Assemblywoman Joan Millman and members of Community Board 6 that will meet with administration officials to determine the future use for the Engine 204 building.

"A sale for private-sector use would have been the worst outcome," said Mr. de Blasio. "The Department of Education is involved in hundreds of leases around the city. We'll be working to figure out a use that best serves the community."