North Whidbey Fire moves forward on new $1.5 mil. station

Published 2:24 pm Friday, July 31, 2015

North Whidbey Fire and Rescue plans to build a new $1.5 million fire station at the corner of Troxell and Monkey Hill Roads in early August.

The station will replace the current one built by volunteers in 1962 out of cinder blocks. The station has become so old the fire department stopped pressure washing it because the mortar was coming loose.

The station has four bays that hold fire-fighting equipment but it doesn’t meet modern standards.

The building, for instance, has no way to release exhaust fumes and the bays don’t provide enough space around the trucks.

There’s also no place for the district to staff personnel.

The new station will include three bays that are wider and deeper. It will include a space for firefighters to bunk 24-7 and a meeting room. The design also includes room to expand in the future.

The district isn’t sure yet whether they’ll staff the fire station full-time, but this gives it the option, said fire chief Marv Koorn.

What’s perhaps unusual about the project is that the fire district intends to build the $1.5 million station completely with cash — nearly unheard of for a public project of this size.

The district has been putting away money for years, Koorn said.

In 2003, the department had about $400,000 in reserves. Under Koorn’s leadership, the department built up a current reserve of $3 million by making careful spending decisions.

“We tightened our belts,” Koorn said. “We were able to put that money aside.”

It is unusual for a public entity to pay for a project this large with cash, said Oak Harbor Fire Chief Ray Merrill. Usually, a fire district would take out a loan or ask the taxpayers to pay with a levy.

“They did it due to their prudent savings. It’s in their reserves to pay for that,” he said. “It’s pretty unheard of these days.”

Merrill joked that it might be Koorn’s Dutch heritage.

“If you understand Dutch mentality, they can make a penny into a dollar,” he said.

Valdez Construction of Oak Harbor won the bid to build the station.

It took five years for the fire district to wend its way through all the permits to build, since a wetland is located on the property.

Instead of building next door and tearing down the current station, the district instead must house the equipment elsewhere during construction and build in the same space.

The district is considering temporarily storing an engine and aid vehicle under cover on private property nearby.