Crime & Safety

District Ready To Raze Pacific East

Left-standing, the building was a liability, commissioner says.

Seven months after Amagansett Fire District building next to the , the district will tear it down.

The board of fire commissioners had initially hoped to use it the building for training until it could further assess the district's needs and plan for a new building in a few years.

However, Fire Commissioner Jack Emptage, who oversaw the $2.8 purchase process, said the current building was "a liability-and-a-half."

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The district hired a company to tear the building down for under $25,000, Emptage said, adding the bidding process had brought back estimates that spanned $100,000. The former nightclub and hot spot will be nothing but a memory within the week.

The district has no immediate plans for the property. They will clean up and level off the parking area for extra parking during department functions.

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"Quite frankly, when we went in and inspected it more closely, there was mold and stuff," Emptage said. While he said it wasn't a health hazard, the commissioners were still concerned. "We're just worried about it getting on everbody's gear and then we'd have to send it to be cleaned. It was unnecessary. It was better off just going forward and not dealing with it, in the sense of not exposing anybody to it."

The to purchase the parcel on Oct. 4. The district in December, securing a 15-year bond at 2.604 percent.

The building had been left vacant for several years. There were leaks and water damage, Emptage said, adding that the interior was "messy and not in terrific shape." It had been partially boarded up. 

"If someone had wanted to go in and put several hundred thousand dollars to go in and clean it up, I'm sure it could have been fixed up," he said. "But, if it's not going to be cleaned up, it's better to get rid of it."


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