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Editorial
Vote yes on Measure F for public safety
Saratoga needs a new fire station--a seismically safe one. The firehouse on the corner of Highway 9 and Saratoga Avenue was built in the 1920s and was declared beyond repair in a 1995 engineering report.
Passage of Measure F, on April 11, will provide the funding to build a new fire station in the same location. It asks voters to approve a $6 million general obligation bond which will cost taxpayers less than $6 per $100,000 in assessed property value over 30 years.
The Saratoga News recommends a yes vote.
Some have asked why the fire district chose to place the measure on the ballot in a special election rather than in March when the California primaries were held.
The answer is simple. The rank and file was at odds with the district because the firefighters wanted the district to contract with the county which already serves half of Saratoga. The timing couldn't have been worse.
As the firefighters and district commissioners tried to resolve differences, the deadline for filing for the March election loomed. By the time the district approved a study to analyze services and the firefighters threw their support to the bond, it was too late for the March ballot.
Faced with the choice of financing a special election at a cost of some $16,000, the district had little choice. Waiting till the November ballot would have ensured that escalating construction costs would add significantly to the cost of the new station.
The Saratoga Fire District serves some 12 square miles of Saratoga--about half of which is in the hillsides. The district also serves Saratoga's schools, city offices, retirement homes, Saratoga Village, Montalvo and the Mountain Winery.
Regardless of how the study of district and county fire services shakes out, Saratoga will still need a new fire station. Fire protection and emergency services are high on the list of services Saratogans believe essential.
A real added value to the proposed station is its design. Patterned after neighboring Saratoga Federated Church which was designed by famed early 20th century architect Julia Morgan, the new building will be a welcome addition to the Village.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
