Volunteer ambulance corps in Washingtonville experiences changes to longtime parking agreement
A man who identified himself as the owner of Sunoco on East Main Street tells News 12 he has allowed the Blooming Grove Volunteer Ambulance Corps to park one EMS vehicle and their garbage dumpster for free in a section of his lot for the past 15 years. He says recently, however, more EMS vehicles than his lot can accommodate have been parked there, prompting him to rope off the area to parking.
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Volunteer rescuers in Washingtonville might be looking for a new location to park some of their emergency vehicles after the possible end of an agreement with a nearby gas station.
A man who identified himself as the owner of Sunoco on East Main Street tells News 12 he has allowed the Blooming Grove Volunteer Ambulance Corps to park one EMS vehicle and their garbage dumpster for free in a section of his lot for the past 15 years. He says recently, however, more EMS vehicles than his lot can accommodate have been parked there, prompting him to rope off the area to parking.
The gas station says it is also applying for a building permit to do construction on the store and was advised by the town to section off the area.
Blooming Grove Volunteer Ambulance Corps Chief of Operations Brian Bates tells News 12 that Sunoco wants to charge $1,500 a month for use of the lot. Bates says they made a counteroffer, which included snow removal by the ambulance corps, but that it was turned down.
Bates says the department cannot afford $1,500 a month and that the expense would need to be budgeted for in advance. In the meantime, he says their third ambulance is being parked in a spare town lot and that a nearby funeral home has offered some parking to offset the hardship.
The ambulance corps says it's working with the town on a permanent parking solution.
