(January 7)  The county this week took a major step toward constructing a new fire station in Needles, a project for which it has budgeted slightly more than $3 million.
The board of supervisors on Tuesday awarded a design contract on the project to STK Architecture, Inc., in the amount of $230,458. That contract covers the provision of design and construction administration services for the undertaking. According to Carl R. Alban, the director of the county’s architecture and engineering department, the cost breakdown of the Needles fire station project includes $149,200 for the purchase of the site, $26,430 for preliminary site investigation, an estimated $16,520 for conceptual design, $230,458 for design and construction administration, $240,000 for project management, testing and inspection, $20,000 for permits, $2,066,175 for construction, backed with a construction contingency of $206,617 and $50,000 for furnishing, fixtures and equipment.
Thus, the total project budget has been set at $3,005,400, though it is likely the actual cost will exceed that amount.
According to Alban, “The current budget for the Needles Fire Station is based on the construction cost for the Spring Valley Lake Fire Station which was the same design. It is expected that the construction cost for the Needles Fire Station will exceed the current budget based on an escalation of costs for the passage of time, rural nature of the Needles location, and a higher construction cost estimate recently prepared by an outside consultant. Award of a construction contract is expected in July 2015.”
The established and anticipated funding sources for the project include discretionary general funding of $1,962,316 and federal Community Development Block Grant funding of $1,043,084.
Alban said, “If additional funding is required, it is anticipated that Community Development Block Grant funding will be requested. Necessary budget adjustments will be requested at the time of the award of the construction contract and included in a future quarterly budget report presented to the board of supervisors for approval.”
The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District provides emergency services to he unincorporated region surrounding Needles, including the Interstate 40 and State Highway 95 corridors, Park Moabi, and the Colorado River recreation area. The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District contracts with the city of Needles to provide emergency services and currently leases the facility located at 633 Front Street from the city for use as Fire Station No. 31. Built in 1953, the fire station is in need of updating and repair and is no longer adequate or large enough to support the needs of The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, according to Alban.
“A modern facility with room for expansion of current and future services is needed in order to better serve the community,” Alban said. “Completion of the new, larger and better equipped Needles Fire Station will enable County Fire to provide emergency services and maintain public safety to the expansive unincorporated region around Needles and fulfill its contract responsibility to the city.”
On September 24, 2013, the board of supervisors approved the purchase of property located at 1113 East Broadway Street in Needles for this purpose. On January 24, 2012, the board of supervisors approved a design and construction services contract with STK Architecture, Inc. for the Spring Valley Lake Fire Station Project. The design was a site adaptation of a design that had previously been developed for a future fire station which was to be located in the city of Needles. Included in that board item was the stated intention of the architecture and engineering department and the county fire division to utilize and adapt the design developed by STK for future fire stations with similar requirements. The design services approved by the board this week will be primarily a site adaptation of the existing fire station design, and will include the necessary civil engineering and landscape design specific to the new site, as well as any code upgrades that have occurred since the last plan review and approval.
According to Alban, “Adapting standard designs and construction processes allows the county to realize substantial savings in the design of future fire stations.”
Accordingly, Alban recommended awarding the design and construction administration contract in the amount of $230,458 to STK utilizing and adapting the design previously developed and completed by STK for the Spring Valley Lake Fire Station Project.
Agreements for design and construction administration services typically run concurrent with the project timeline. Actual construction of the fire station is expected to commence in August 2015 and is anticipated to be completed in late summer 2016.