Price is $1: Village agrees to sell land to fire company

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WVFC Fire House

By Matthew Saari

After eight months of sometimes-heated discussions, the village of Whitehall and the Whitehall Volunteer Fire Company are burying the proverbial hatchet.
For one dollar, the village has agreed to sell the fire company the land that its firehouse sits on.
“Me and the mayor had a pretty good sit-down, I thought,” said fire chief Bryan Brooks. “We got on the same page; we agreed on a lot.”
Village board members convened in executive session following its board meeting last Tuesday to discuss the ongoing issue. After 30 minutes, the board voted unanimously to sell the fire company the land they requested for $1, including the land under the firehouse and 20 feet to the east side of the building, facing the Champlain Canal, and 15 feet south of the building, under which lies a fuel oil storage tank the fire company intends to unearth.
“Depending on the survey saying what we own,” Mayor Phil Smith said, specifically referring to the east side. It’s unknown how much of that land the village owns and how much the Canal Corporation owns. Regardless of how much the village owns, Smith said it will be turned over to the fire company, whether it’s 15 feet or 25 feet.
The only stipulation the village added to the resolution was if the fire company dissolves, the property is returned to the village.

This is only a preview of the story published in the Whitehall Times. To read the full story, pick up a print copy of this week’s paper at the newsstand or read it online here.