Mohawk Ambulance is planning to put a new substation on Freemans Bridge Road to improve response times in Glenville and is asking the town for a $50,000 subsidy to guarantee paramedic coverage on every call.
The for-profit ambulance company has purchased the building at 176 Freemans Bridge Road across from Mohawk Honda, according to Supervisor Chris Koetzle. Mohawk plans to renovate the building to create a four-bay station and living quarters for a 24-hour operation.
“It will be a nice rehab for us in the Freemans Bridge corridor,” Koetzle said. “It’s going to be a great service for the residents of Glenville because response times are going to be cut dramatically. Their call volume has been fairly high in Glenville.”
Mohawk currently responds to more than 2,500 calls in the town each year, according to the company.
The property, which is assessed at $294,000, was formerly home to Envy Salon but had been vacant and was sold at auction, according to Koetzle. It is located next to Rick DiCresce’s used car dealership. The purchase price wasn’t disclosed.
The redevelopment would require site plan approval. Koetzle believes that Mohawk Ambulance officials want to start construction soon so they can be done by the end of fall.
The ambulance company has its headquarters on State Street in Schenectady but also has locations on Central Avenue and Quail Street in Albany, and on River Street and Brick Church Road in Troy.
Mohawk officials did not comment extensively on the plans on Thursday. “Mohawk Ambulance has been a member of the Glenville community for more than 30 years and we see this as a continuation of our investment in the community, while at the same time improving our service capabilities,” spokesman Tom Nardacci said in a prepared statement.
As for the subsidy, Koetzle said the company had received a $30,000 annual subsidy from the town for many years, which was eliminated sometime during the previous administration to cut expenses.
He doesn’t think the town would be able to support Mohawk’s request.
“We would love to work with them in any way possible but we have to weigh that against the resources we have. It’s going to be a tough year,” he said.
Mohawk doesn’t need the subsidy to open the substation, Koetzle said, but it will mean there won’t be a paramedic on every call.
Mohawk’s desire to increase its presence in Glenville comes a few months after it lost out on a contract to be the main ambulance provider to Rotterdam.
In May, the town awarded the contract to Rotterdam Emergency Medical Services.
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