Fire In The Basement Wall At Amacord; Contained Quickly; Open Tomorrow (Saturday)

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At 8:20pm Friday evening, City of Beacon Fire Department arrived to Cafe Amacord to answer a call of a basement fire in the walls. City of Beacon Police were also on the scene, as were Castle Point and EMS, according to Dutchess County Scanner. Dutchess County Scanner and Valmir Muriqi reported that the fire started as an automatic fire alarm that was upgraded to a first alarm basement fire.

Firefighters drilled into the side of the building to search for hot spots. They left after they found no hot-spots and were satisfied that the area was safe and secure. After crews left and Amacord staff was closing up inside, owner Rifo told A Little Beacon Blog that a tube had fallen out of the heating component, causing the burn.

The Beacon Professional Firefighters IAFF L-3490 report of the call reads as follows:
20:20 BFD units dispatched for a commercial AFA.
20:24 Units operating at a basement fire on Main St.
20:58 Source located, fire in the walls, continuing the PAR
21:15 Discontinue the PAR, EMS in service.

“We are open tomorrow,” Rifo told ALBB with a smile. The staff focused on get anything cleaned up for a busy Saturday the next day. Do check Amacord’s menu, and let us know what you order!

Amacord Menu Highlights Include:

BUFFALO MOZZARELLA AND PROSCIUTTO
Fresh melon, baby arugula, olive oil and aged balsamic

VEAL MEATBALLS TONNATO
White tuna sauce, mayo, olive oil, lemon, capers and boiled egg

EGG YOLK CARPACCIO
Egg yolk topped with shrimp sautéed with olive oil, garlic, thyme, tarragon, lemon and topped with shoe string fries


Beacon's Firefighters Purchased and Hung Holiday Lights On New Firehouse

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Holiday lights strung on the new City of Beacon firehouse. Lights were hung by the Beacon firefighters and purchased with their union dues through the City of Beacon’s Professional Firefighters (IAFF L-3490).
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth

On the night of December 1st, 2025, during a City Council Meeting, residents learned that the City of Beacon Firefighters had purchased and hung the holiday lights shining brightly from the new Beacon firehouse.

This blogger, Katie Hellmuth, had gone down to the City Council Meeting that evening to deliver a Public Comment in support of the change in zoning requirement for 248 Tioronda, which allowed the developer to pursue building residential units on its remaining plot of land. Years ago, the City of Beacon changed its zoning law to require the property owner to develop commercial space for retail or business use. After years of trying, the developer did not find interested occupants, and requested a change of use for the zoning to allow residential apartments to be built instead, with an increased percentage of Below Market Rate (BMR) units available, honoring the Beacon City Council’s request.

At the end of this reporter’s comment in support of the zoning change, Katie remarked: “Also, the holiday lights on the firehouse and on this building look very nice.” In response, during the latter part of the meeting, City Administrator Chris White remarked that the City of Beacon’s Professional Firefighters (IAFF L-3490) had purchased the lights themselves, and hung them.

The City of Beacon’s Fire Chief Thomas Lucchesi confirmed to A Little Beacon Blog that the firefighters purchased and installed the lights using funds from their union dues. Chief Lucchesi added: “The firefighters typically decorate each year, but this is the first time they’ve been able to decorate the new firehouse—we were still getting settled in last holiday season.

“Our department has a great relationship with both the City and our residents, and the holiday season gives us an opportunity to share that sense of community in a simple but meaningful way. The firefighters take a lot of pride in the firehouse and in bringing a little extra holiday cheer to the neighborhood.”

The Professional Firefighters (IAFF L-3490) have confirmed that the new address of their new firehouse is 1140 Wolcott Avenue. The old address was 13 South Avenue, which as of this publishing, was listed in Google. Google may take time to update.

As a holiday reminder, the City of Beacon Firefighters are available to provide and install new fire alarms in your residence free of charge, courtesy of the Red Cross and of Chief Lucchesi reviving that program. Read more about that here or simply call them to request installation for all the necessary rooms in your residence: 845-831-1334.

OPEN: Beacon's New Fire Station - "An Architectural Gem" - State Of The Art Home For Fire Fighters

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Article by Jean Noack
Photo Credits of Interior Photos: Jean Noack
Photo Credits of Exterior Photos: Katie Hellmuth
Photos may not be re-used without written permission from the photographers.

A standing room only crowd attended the dedication of the centralized City of Beacon fire station on Nov. 16, 2024. Folding chairs had been set up in the massive truck bay of the new facility, which Mayor Lee Kyriacou called an “architectural gem.”

Denise Doring Van Buren, president of the Beacon Historical Society, moderated the ceremony as well as gave a history of the Beacon firefighting. Other speakers were Beacon City Administrator Chris White, Beacon Fire Chief Thomas Lucchesi and Mayor Lee Kyriacou.

The Mayor noted in 2006, a bold recommendation was made for a centralized fire station for Beacon. It was a controversial proposal coming out of a formal study on how to improve the City’s three firehouse situation.

Construction on the Wolcott Avenue site started in 2023 and was finished in Oct. 2024.

According to the Mayor, “The real reason this thing got done was Chris White. Let me just be absolutely clear. He made the key recommendation that we shift (the bays) to 9D, that we build sustainability into this building and that we invest in the façade. Along with those recommendations he oversaw all the construction and brought it in on time and on budget. Thank you.”

The Mayor also noted, “We have here today…a special building, a unique and natural addition to our city. It is state of the art firefighting, designed to keep our firefighters safe. It is a sustainable building. It is all electric with geo thermal heating and cooling.”

He also noted the high efficiency insulation and electric charging stations. The Mayor said: “The last investment in the building was a true brick façade with unique architectural details in harmony with Beacon’s Main St.”

He ended with noting a challenge that still remains. “The ‘people challenge’ is still with us,” he said. He said the city will have to work hard to recruit volunteers to supplement the paid firefighting staff. The decline in volunteers is a national trend that Beacon will have to deal with.

The ceremony was followed by self-guided tours of the facility. The tiny bunk rooms were seen, with views from the single windows of the Hudson River making them seem fitting for the heroes that will rest there. A gleaming kitchen, the chief’s office, a decontamination room, locker areas, exercise room, laundry facilities were part of the tour.

The newly paved public parking lot on 9D next to the fire station is now open. It was used as a staging ground for the construction equipment during the build.

City Of Beacon's Budget Calls for Hiring 3 Firefighters, 1 Police Officer, and 1 HR Person

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The 2020 budget for the City of Beacon is making room to hire more first responders and personnel at City Hall, some of which is made possible by different federal grants.

3 Career Firefighters Would Be Hired By City Of Beacon

The budget reflects the addition of three career firefighters over a three-year period in the Fire Department budget. Earlier this year, the City of Beacon received a SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) Grant in the amount of $537,423.15 in federal funding. The grant pays for 75% in the first two years and 35% in the third year. The total number of career firefighters in Beacon is 16.

1 Police Officer Would Be Hired For Main Street Patrol

The hiring of one police officer is in the 2020 budget, bringing the total patrol division to 30 officers. The Department’s total personnel would be 37, including the Police Chief, Captain and the Detective Division. “The intent,” according to the budget report, “is that this officer would be a dedicated Main Street Patrol.”

1 Full-Time Human Resources (HR) Position And City Clerk

A full-time human resource (HR) position is in the City Administrator budget for $65,000. “The main responsibility of the HR person,” according to the budget report, “will be to recruit new employees, retain and develop the existing work force, maintain all personnel files, employee benefits and compensation guidance, administration of civil service, training in required local and state policies, and assist in preparing policies and procedures.”

The budget also reflects the inclusion of the part-time Deputy City Clerk as full-time in the City Clerk budget (1410) for $18,685.

Climate Smart Coordinator Position Would Continue

The City of Beacon is on a mission to be more climate-smart and climate-friendly. Financial incentives are attached to this path, which are measured by a wide-ranging point system. The Climate Smart Coordinator stays on top of those points and looks for opportunities to gain points. According to a report from the current Climate Smart Coordinator, Beacon has 174 out of 300 points. The higher the points, the more opportunities open up. Currently, the coordinator is working on greenhouse gas inventories and alternative fuel structures. She is hunting for more points, and is feeling optimistic, per her presentation at the 11/25/2019 City Council Meeting. The Climate Smart Coordinator position is in the City Council budget for $9,500.

Summer Work Experience Opportunities For Beacon Youth

Included in the overall budget is $20,000 in the Recreation budget to work with the Dutchess County Workforce Investment Board (DCWIB) to provide summer work experience opportunities for Beacon youth.

Raffle: Chance For A Kid To Win A Ride To School On A Fire Truck

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If you missed this event last year, you have another chance to enter your kid to win a ride in a fire truck! Each $5 ticket into Rombout’s Raffle helps raise money for the eighth-grade Washington DC trip. This raffle’s grand prize is a ride to school in a fire truck driven by the City of Beacon Fire Department and Slater Chemical Fire Company. Your child could be picked up at home - in a fire truck - and driven to school!

One kid from each of the four elementary schools in the Beacon City School District (South Avenue, Glenham, J. V. Forrestal and Sargent) will be selected as winners. Flyers went home in the little kids’ folders, so fill those out and send in money with your tickets - $5 per ticket or 3 tickets for $10! There is no limit to how many tickets you can buy.

If you want to buy several raffle tickets and need to print more raffle forms/tickets, you can print out the raffle form tickets here and keep sending them in, just in case riding to school in a fire truck sounds TOO COOL and you really want to increase your chances.

This is a highlight from A Little Beacon Blog’s School Opportunities Guide. There are more special events listed there, plus ways you can effortlessly donate to one of the schools in our district, through glass bottle collection, box tops, and other easy ways.