The Glenville Planning and Zoning Commission gave Mohawk Ambulance Service’s plans for a new substation little resistance in its review of the project.
Mohawk recently purchased the former Envy Salon, at 176 Freemans Bridge Road, to open the substation. The move is meant to help Mohawk improve response times, but town officials are also pleased to see a vacant building filled.
The planned facility would be a two-bay station holding four ambulances and living quarters for staff to be on-site at all times. Mohawk responds to more than 2,500 calls in the town, according to the company, which includes calls not requiring transportation. Its headquarters are located on State Street in Schenectady, but the ambulance provider also has stations in Albany and Troy.
An increased number of calls coming to the town is what led Mohawk to seek a substation.
“We have an increase of a larger number of calls out here than we have in the last 10 or 15 years,” said James McPartlon III, vice president of Mohawk. “It will certainly help with response times and patient care.”
McPartlon attributed the increased number of calls to the aging population in the town.
The PZC held a public hearing on the project during its Monday, Oct. 10, meeting. No comments were made because no residents attended. Michael Carr, chairman of the PZC, said the commission couldn’t take any action during the meeting because the town is awaiting the county’s recommendation.
While the commission doesn’t foresee any problems, even with a negative recommendation from the county it can approve the project with a majority plus one vote in approval.
“I just want to make sure we are not stifling progress in Glenville. We want to see things move forward,” Carr said.
McPartlon said the existing footprint of the building would remain, but Mohawk would put some asphalt in front of the garage bays. There won’t be diesel fuel or cylinders of oxygen stored at the substation. Mohawk isn’t requesting any special traffic controls.
PZC member Mark Storti asked if Mohawk needed all the parking spaces currently on the property and McPartlon said they didn’t. Storti was requesting for some of the spaces to be removed and additional landscaping added.
“We are trying to spruce Freemans Bridge Road up and you want to compliment what is across the street from Mohawk Honda,” said Town Planner Kevin Corcoran. “I think you just need to show some hedges or some trees to just spruce up the property.”
Carr said he liked the plan for the property and he hoped to see the project move along quickly. Mohawk is scheduled to be on the agenda for the next PZC meeting, pending county review.
