Agenda Item Wording:
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Fire Station 51 Project Update - Receive an update on the Fire Station 51 Project located between Stevenson Street and Conyer Street, south of Acequia Avenue; provide direction regarding the exterior building style for the project and determine if the project is ready to proceed to working drawings.
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Prepared by:
Mike Porter, Civil Engineer, Mike.porter@visalia.city (559) 713-4412
Chris Crawford, City Engineer, Chris.crawford@visalia.city (559) 713-4331
Jason Huckleberry, Engineering & Building Director, Jason.huckleberry@visalia.city (559) 713-4495
Department Recommendation:
It is recommended that the City Council receive an update on the Fire Station 51 project , provide direction on the exterior building style, and determine if the project is ready to proceed to working drawings
Summary: The Fire Station 51 (FS51) project is currently in the planning and design phase. Staff has been working with a consultant architect, RRM Design Group, to prepare a draft floor plan and site plan for the project. The next step in advancement of the project is to submit the project through the City of Visalia Site Plan Review process. Staff is requesting the City Council provide direction on the draft floor plan, site plan and exterior building style for the project.
Utilizing the design of Visalia’s existing fire stations, adjacent architectural themes, and current trends in the industry, RRM has suggested three (3) architectural styles to choose from for FS51 (see presentation for examples of each style):
1. Traditional Retrofit
The traditional retrofit theme is a common traditional theme often used when retrofitting and restoring older fire stations or designing new ones to appear traditional. The goal is to maintain civic identity, durability, and functionality, while honoring historic fire station styles. The traditional retrofit theme embraces brick facades and multi-panel windows and doors.
2. Early California
The early California theme draws upon historic styles rooted in the region’s early development. The style utilizes light stucco walls, arched doorways and red clay tile roofs. A similar style was selected for the City’s Civic Center Phase 2 project and would also be highly compatible with Redwood High School and the medical office building, which are respectively located immediately west and north of the new Fire Station 51.
3. Modern/Transitional
A modern transitional theme blends traditional design elements with modern materials and functionality. The architectural concept bridges between classic civic architecture and contemporary styles, incorporating a mix of classical warm materials with cool, modern industrial materials. The modern/transitional style has been used in previous City fire station designs, notable Fire Stations 53, 55, and 56.
Upon Council’s review and direction provided for the site plan and exterior design, staff will make any necessary revisions and submit the project to the Site Plan review committee for their review and approval. A rendering of the exterior design will be brought back to the Council for approval.
Background Discussion:
The existing Fire Station 51 is situated at 309 S. Johnson Street and is the main fire department headquarters, having been a vital part of the community for several decades. Station 51 is an essential services building located in the heart of Visalia and serves both the downtown community and much of central Visalia. In the summer of 2023, staff solicited proposals from qualified design professionals for a new Fire Station 51. This new station is intended to upgrade facilities and provide much-needed additional space for the firefighters, equipment, and larger fire engines. This new facility is intended to serve the community for the next 50-plus years.
To determine the precise space requirements, the consultant conducted a space needs assessment in close collaboration with City Staff. The current building size is 18,500 square feet and the site size is approximately 1.50 acres. This assessment played a pivotal role in determining the ultimate square footage required for the new Fire Station 51. The new station will be constructed across the street from the existing fire station, occupying the existing city-owned parking lot area between Conyer St. and Stevenson St. This strategic location will help ensure coverage of the current emergency response area and maintain emergency response times provided by the current Fire Station 51 (see attached vicinity map). Fire Station 51 serves as the hub of the Fire Department’s operations, making the site across the street from the current location ideal. This location offers efficient east-west access via Highway 198 and is centrally positioned for north-south coverage, enhancing overall response capability throughout the City.
Fire Station 51 is being designed to meet California Building Code requirements for Essential Services Building construction. Design for Essential Services Buildings follow more stringent structural design and construction requirements to prevent catastrophic collapse and ensure facilities can provide essential services to the public following a disaster.
The new Fire Station 51 is being designed to meet current and future operational needs. Current operational needs include housing eight personnel on a continuous 24/7 basis. The station’s eight personnel consist of four personnel assigned to both Engine 51 and Truck 51 each when fully staffed. In addition to the daily Engine 51 and Truck 51 staffing, two paramedics assigned to Squad 51 currently respond from Fire Station 51 during daytime hours.
It is unknown what services the community will require from this station in its serviceable lifespan, recognizing both the operational advantages of this site and the need to responsibly plan for the growing and evolving community, staff have thoughtfully designed the new station to support future demands. The station will accommodate up to 12 personnel on a 24/7 schedule, with the individual occupancy dorm rooms to support a diverse and professional workforce; a feature that sets it apart from the other stations. The station also has five full bathrooms to accommodate the needs of the current and future workforce. Per RRM Design Group, industry standard is one bathroom for every two dorm rooms. This station has five full bathrooms and a sixth half bath as a public bathroom on the office side of the station. The station’s ideal location and individual occupancy rooms make it especially well-suited for scaling operations during high-demand periods, such as the Fourth of July holiday, special events, or in response to potential community hazards. These features mean Fire Station 51 is well positioned to continue serving the City effectively, both now and in the future.
The proposed design also includes the Battalion Chief quarters. The Battalion Chief is the chief officer on-duty seven days a week, 24-hours per day and is the incident commander for any complex and/or significant incident. Currently the Battalion Chief is located at Fire Station 54 located at North Dinuba Blvd. and Ferguson Ave. Moving the Battalion Chief to Fire Station 51, a more centralized location, enhances the department’s operational effectiveness, efficiency, and safety on complex incidents. From their current location at Fire Station 54, a response to an incident south of Highway 198, and especially to the southwest quadrant of the City, is delayed considerably. This delay often requires the initial engine company to take an initial command role rather than a tactical role. Given the opportunity to move the Battalion Chief to the centralized Fire Station 51 enhances their response to more of the City and allows engine and truck companies to take on the tactical assignments needed to mitigate the incident.
The station’s apparatus bay has been designed with adequate space for the four frontline units currently stationed at Fire Station 51, comprising two large fire trucks and two sizeable SUVs. Furthermore, provisions have been made for the storage of a reserve ladder truck, a reserve engine, and the department’s breathing support apparatus. The reserve ladder truck is to be stored at the station so it can be secure, out of the weather, properly maintained and readily available for the crew to use if the primary ladder truck is rendered out of service. The breathing support apparatus is located at Fire Station 51 due to its centralized location and accessibility to the other stations. All of Visalia’s fire stations have either a reserve apparatus or a support apparatus (Hazmat 55) housed at them. Keeping the reserve and auxiliary apparatus at the fire stations ensures these high-value assets are secure, out of the weather, properly maintained, and readily available for personnel to use in the event their primary apparatus is rendered out of service. In addition to daily checks at the beginning of their first shift, personnel are required to complete detailed inspections, maintenance, and perform necessary cleaning of all primary and auxiliary apparatuses and equipment assigned to their station weekly. Protecting and maintaining fire apparatuses are essential for effective operation.
Fiscal Impact:
1410-72000/CP0415-999. The project currently has $4,400,000 budgeted from the Measure N Fund (141). The current project budget is sufficient to cover the cost of the design phase of the project and the cost of the construction management contract. Additional funds will be required to complete the construction phase of the project. These additional funds will be requested at the time of award of the construction contract, and after approval from the Measure N committee.
Budget Summary: CP0415 |
Project Funding |
Available CIP Funding |
$4,400,000 |
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Estimated Project Costs: |
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Estimated Construction Cost |
$20,350,000 |
Architect/Engineer (actual cost) |
$794,787 |
Construction Manager (actual cost) |
$889,000 |
Surveying (1%) |
$200,000 |
City Staff Time (2%) |
$400,000 |
Construction Contingency (10%) |
$2,000,000 |
Inspection/Testing (2%) |
$400,000 |
Permits/Fees (2%) |
$400,000 |
Total Estimated Project Costs |
25,433,787 |
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Total Estimated Deficit |
($21,033,787) |
The estimated construction cost was determined by assuming a cost of $1,100.00 per square foot, multiplied times the estimated square footage of the project (18,500). The estimated cost/sf was determined by using the average of six (6) other similar fire stations built in the central valley over the past several years. The actual average cost of the previous fire stations used in this comparison is $800/sf. The $800/sf was then escalated at a rate of 7% per year from their original bid dates to arrive at the current estimate of $1,100/sf.
When considering the additional square footage being added to the building in order to plan for future needs and capitalize on the station’s ideal central location, staff calculates approximately 500 square feet of additional space. Utilizing a cost per square foot of $1,100 the added space equates to a cost of approximately $550,000 against the overall cost of the building to ensure the station is maximized for future needs.
During the preliminary design phase of this project staff worked with the design architect and construction manager to investigate value engineering options such as a two-story fire station or a prefabricated building process. It was determined that the two-story building did not significantly reduce costs, would result in less efficient fire operations and service, the added cost of elevator maintenance and it also presented increased potential for fire department staff injuries. The prefabricated building process appeared to be a more specialized process geared towards simpler building layouts and amenities and didn’t seem to be a good fit for this building.
Prior Council Action:
11/6/23 - Council authorized the City Manager to enter into a contract with RRM Design Group for professional consulting services to prepare plans, specifications, and estimates for a new Fire Station 51 for an amount not to exceed $797,787.
11/18/24 - Council authorized the City Manager to execute a contract with Griffin Structures, Inc. for construction management services in the amount of $889,000.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
I move to authorize staff to:
1. Proceed with the draft floor plan and site plan as presented to Council, and:
2. Proceed with exterior building design style 1. Traditional Retrofit or 2. Early California or 3. Modern/Transitional for the Fire Station 51 project.
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Environmental Assessment Status: In progress
CEQA Review: In progress
Deadline for Action: 8/4/25
Attachments:
Vicinity Map
Presentation