Mastic Beach to get $9.5M ambulance company headquarters

Brookhaven Town and Mastic Beach Village officials broke ground Wednesday morning on the $9.5 million Mastic Beach Ambulance Company headquarters.

“Everyone here knows the need for this facility,” Mastic Beach Ambulance Company Chief Charles Voelger said at the ceremony.

The two-floor building will sit on a 1.2-acre site at the intersection of Neighborhood Road and Diana Drive. It will have five bays, accommodate 15 ambulances and have more space for volunteer housing and storage, officials said.

Brookhaven Town Councilman Daniel Panico, who represents the area, said the building will serve the needs of downtown Mastic Beach.

“Now we stand at the very beginning of something great,” the councilman said. “Everything is in line for a downtown renaissance.”

Ambulance companies are special districts governed by Brookhaven Town. Last year, town board members approved an $11 million bond resolution to finance the building.

The costs for construction, engineering and purchase of land came in at $9.5 million, 20 percent of which is a required New York State comptroller contingency plan, town officials said.

Property taxes for Mastic Beach residents are expected to increase between $89.25 and $97.14 annually with the bonding, officials said.

“This will enhance emergency services for the residents of Mastic Beach,” Brookhaven Town Supervisor Edward P. Romaine, flanked by several town, village and civic leaders.

Founded in 1948, the company serves nearly 12 square miles including Fire Island, and stretches from Moriches Inlet to Wavecrest Drive, officials said. Its current facility was built in 1990.

Voelger said the ground breaking was more than a decade in the making.

The company has roughly 100 volunteers and six members on paid staff and is expected to respond to 2,800 calls this year.

Construction is expected to be complete in July or August.