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QUOTE ....Ariola’s office had allocated $600,000 toward the project, and due to the low operating budget of the BCVFD, the FDNY released $370,000 ahead of time as an advancement for the project so that the BCVFD wouldn’t have to lay out the initial money and await reimbursement, which is the usual protocol. The $170,000 paid to JAT Construction Group came from that release. ....UNQUOTE.
By The Wave
on May 22, 2026
By John Schilling
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The Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Department is currently located at 15 Noel Road. Photo courtesy of the BCVFD
After years of bureaucratic hurdles and unforeseen challenges, the Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Department (BCVFD) officially broke ground on its new firehouse project late last year, but the celebration now appears to have been premature.
According to NYC Councilwoman Joann Ariola, who represents the Broad Channel community in Council District 32, the project hasn’t taken off since the department officially signed a contract with JAT Construction Group in 2025, and things have only gotten weird from there.
Both Ariola and BCVFD President Dan McIntyre, the department’s former chief, are accusing JAT Construction Group President & CEO John Longardo of scamming the department, following an alleged disturbing pattern of behavior regarding a portion of the project’s estimated $7.5 million in funding.
“The [BCVFD] has been laboring for over 30 years to get this job done; we are finally at the point where we have city, state, and federal agencies all on board; money in place; mortgages in place; and we thought we had a contractor in place,” Ariola told The Wave earlier this week. “It’s just a terrible, unfortunate ordeal.”
According to Ariola, red flags started to flare up following the ground-breaking ceremony in November 2025. Around that time, McIntyre had issued a check to JAT Construction Group in the amount of $170,000 for permits, aluminum, fencing of the property, and other costs associated with the construction.
“After that, we start to see nothing; we don’t see a fence; we don’t see aluminum; we don’t see anything going on at that property that tells us that a building is going to be built,” Ariola explained. “We don’t see permits being filed. Nothing is being done.”
McIntyre, along with Ariola’s office, then inquired about the project’s status with Longardo, who, they say, kept “making excuses” but promised to follow through.
From there, Longardo agreed to meet with McIntyre and Phyllis Inserillo, Ariola’s chief of staff, at the firehouse on April 21 to discuss the project. The two waited for Longardo to arrive for over an hour only for him to never show up. During that time, the two contacted Longardo, who, according to them, told them there was “traffic on the Belt Parkway” and said he was on his way.
“He never showed,” Ariola said. “So now, we were very concerned because this is a pathological liar.”
Following Longardo’s no-show, McIntyre decided the best step forward for the project was to find a new contractor, prompting him to request that JAT Construction Group return the $170,000 – something, Ariola says, Longardo agreed to do.
Last month, when the day came for Longardo to drop off the check, things really took an unexpected turn.
While waiting for Longardo to arrive at the existing BCVFD firehouse at 15 Noel Road, McIntyre received a call from Longardo’s phone. It was FDNY EMS, who informed McIntyre that Longardo was in an ambulance and about to be transported to the hospital.
McIntyre then quickly headed to 6th Road, near where the ambulance was, and saw Longardo in the back of the emergency vehicle. During a brief exchange, Longardo told McIntyre the check was in his car but wouldn’t hand over his car keys.
From there, McIntyre followed the ambulance to the hospital, where he met Longardo’s wife. After explaining the situation, McIntyre received Longardo’s car keys from her and returned to Longardo’s car, but there was no check to be found.
Now, Ariola says the city is investigating the matter to determine where the missing $170,000 is.
Ariola’s office had allocated $600,000 toward the project, and due to the low operating budget of the BCVFD, the FDNY released $370,000 ahead of time as an advancement for the project so that the BCVFD wouldn’t have to lay out the initial money and await reimbursement, which is the usual protocol. The $170,000 paid to JAT Construction Group came from that release.
As a result, Ariola says McIntyre will be issuing a check from his account to reimburse the FDNY, and $408,850 of the total $600,000 will be moved instead to the FDNY Ceremonial Unit for 9/11 because the city’s fiscal year is ending on June 30, and the funding cannot be carried over.
But hope is not lost for the BCVFD, who, according to Ariola, have the federal and state monies previously allocated still in place, meaning a new firehouse can still be built on West 3rd Road with a new contractor, but it may have to be scaled back.
“They’ll be talking to other contractors to see if they can come in within that budget,” Ariola said. “But they have to go back to the drawing board.”
JAT Construction Group did not respond to The Wave’s inquiries in time for publication
THE ENTIRE ARTICLE ON THIS ....
www.rockawave.com/articles/firehouse-fiasco/
Firehouse Fiasco
Broad Channel Volunteer Firehouse project stalled amid alleged contractor scamBy The Wave
on May 22, 2026
By John Schilling
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FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedInEmailMessengerPrintShare
The Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Department is currently located at 15 Noel Road. Photo courtesy of the BCVFD
After years of bureaucratic hurdles and unforeseen challenges, the Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Department (BCVFD) officially broke ground on its new firehouse project late last year, but the celebration now appears to have been premature.
According to NYC Councilwoman Joann Ariola, who represents the Broad Channel community in Council District 32, the project hasn’t taken off since the department officially signed a contract with JAT Construction Group in 2025, and things have only gotten weird from there.
Both Ariola and BCVFD President Dan McIntyre, the department’s former chief, are accusing JAT Construction Group President & CEO John Longardo of scamming the department, following an alleged disturbing pattern of behavior regarding a portion of the project’s estimated $7.5 million in funding.
“The [BCVFD] has been laboring for over 30 years to get this job done; we are finally at the point where we have city, state, and federal agencies all on board; money in place; mortgages in place; and we thought we had a contractor in place,” Ariola told The Wave earlier this week. “It’s just a terrible, unfortunate ordeal.”
According to Ariola, red flags started to flare up following the ground-breaking ceremony in November 2025. Around that time, McIntyre had issued a check to JAT Construction Group in the amount of $170,000 for permits, aluminum, fencing of the property, and other costs associated with the construction.
“After that, we start to see nothing; we don’t see a fence; we don’t see aluminum; we don’t see anything going on at that property that tells us that a building is going to be built,” Ariola explained. “We don’t see permits being filed. Nothing is being done.”
McIntyre, along with Ariola’s office, then inquired about the project’s status with Longardo, who, they say, kept “making excuses” but promised to follow through.
From there, Longardo agreed to meet with McIntyre and Phyllis Inserillo, Ariola’s chief of staff, at the firehouse on April 21 to discuss the project. The two waited for Longardo to arrive for over an hour only for him to never show up. During that time, the two contacted Longardo, who, according to them, told them there was “traffic on the Belt Parkway” and said he was on his way.
“He never showed,” Ariola said. “So now, we were very concerned because this is a pathological liar.”
Following Longardo’s no-show, McIntyre decided the best step forward for the project was to find a new contractor, prompting him to request that JAT Construction Group return the $170,000 – something, Ariola says, Longardo agreed to do.
Last month, when the day came for Longardo to drop off the check, things really took an unexpected turn.
While waiting for Longardo to arrive at the existing BCVFD firehouse at 15 Noel Road, McIntyre received a call from Longardo’s phone. It was FDNY EMS, who informed McIntyre that Longardo was in an ambulance and about to be transported to the hospital.
McIntyre then quickly headed to 6th Road, near where the ambulance was, and saw Longardo in the back of the emergency vehicle. During a brief exchange, Longardo told McIntyre the check was in his car but wouldn’t hand over his car keys.
From there, McIntyre followed the ambulance to the hospital, where he met Longardo’s wife. After explaining the situation, McIntyre received Longardo’s car keys from her and returned to Longardo’s car, but there was no check to be found.
Now, Ariola says the city is investigating the matter to determine where the missing $170,000 is.
Ariola’s office had allocated $600,000 toward the project, and due to the low operating budget of the BCVFD, the FDNY released $370,000 ahead of time as an advancement for the project so that the BCVFD wouldn’t have to lay out the initial money and await reimbursement, which is the usual protocol. The $170,000 paid to JAT Construction Group came from that release.
As a result, Ariola says McIntyre will be issuing a check from his account to reimburse the FDNY, and $408,850 of the total $600,000 will be moved instead to the FDNY Ceremonial Unit for 9/11 because the city’s fiscal year is ending on June 30, and the funding cannot be carried over.
But hope is not lost for the BCVFD, who, according to Ariola, have the federal and state monies previously allocated still in place, meaning a new firehouse can still be built on West 3rd Road with a new contractor, but it may have to be scaled back.
“They’ll be talking to other contractors to see if they can come in within that budget,” Ariola said. “But they have to go back to the drawing board.”
JAT Construction Group did not respond to The Wave’s inquiries in time for publication
THE ENTIRE ARTICLE ON THIS ....
www.rockawave.com/articles/firehouse-fiasco/
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