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Union firefighters say they'll back bond for a new station
By Kara Chalmers
Rank and file Saratoga firefighters agreed Dec. 4 to support a $6 million bond measure to pay for a new fire station.
The measure probably will go before voters in a general law election in April because the deadline for the March primary election is so soon, said Robert Egan, Saratoga Fire District commissioner.
Commissioners and union firefighters met Nov. 27 in what was deemed a very positive meeting.
According to union president Capt. Bill Morrison, union firefighters voted to support the measure on the condition that the Saratoga Fire District involve the Santa Clara County Fire Department in choosing a consultant to study fire and medical services in Saratoga. In Saratoga, the SFD covers fire and medical emergencies in one half of the city, and the county department covers the other.
According to Commissioner Egan, a county fire representative and a union representative will join the SFD commissioners in picking the consultant. He said they will probably choose over the next few weeks from among the four companies that have submitted applications. SFD engineer paramedic Beau Rahn said both fire departments will help pay for the consultant.
The SFD commissioners announced in July that they will place an initiative on the November ballot. The union firefighters (International Association of Firefighters Local 3875) in August announced their opposition. They said that they recognized the need to replace the station, but believed a facility as big and costly as commissioners were proposing would not be required if--as firefighters were proposing--the district contracted with the county. They said they would only support a bond measure if the SFD contracted with the county department, because a contract would improve the level of fire and medical services for the people of Saratoga and the firefighters themselves.
The firefighters now say they still want this contract, but, Morrison said, "a lot of people want a new fire station, and we do, too."
He said, though, that he still feels that the two issues of contracting with the county and building a new station, are connected. If the study shows that the SFD should not contract with the county, the district will need a location for dispatch and administration.
Firefighters also were able to support the measure partly because the public may receive some of the $6 million back, if the full amount is not required in the end, Rahn said. "There may be some cost savings, that's why we're more secure," he said.
The 7,000-square-foot station is not up to modern earthquake standards, according to a 1995 engineer's report, which suggests either retrofitting or replacing the building. The structure, built around 1923, is also very crowded, said commissioner Jay Geddes.
"It is time to replace it," he said.
The SFD in in the process of buying the property in back of the station with a loan for $1.3 million for the firefighters to move into during renovations. Even if voters do not pass the bond measure, they could rent the building to a public entity or sell it.
Commissioners said they have not taken any steps in the design process of a new building, but according to an estimate from earlier this year, it could cost $3.5 million to construct a large enough facility. That figure, coupled with the $1.3 million for the building in back and the architect's fee would bring the total close to $6 million. Geddes said the commission would authorize $6 million to be spent at a maximum, but the final amount could be less than $6 million.
Egan said Saratogans need time to renew their enthusiasm for a new station, which is the reason Commissioners probably will not try to make the Dec 10 filing deadline for the March ballot.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
