Newman Lake Fire station plans take shape

Plans are moving forward for a new fire station in Newman Lake after voters approved a construction bond in April.

Deputy Chief Toni Halloran of Fire District 13 said they have met with the architect, TCA Architecture Planning, are in the process of completing an audit, which is required before they can sell the bonds, and have tested the soil to make sure it can support the new building.

The new station will be built on land the department already owns and which can include a future training facility. It will include classrooms and meeting space for firefighter trainings and community use such as CPR and first aid classes. The new station will be at the intersection of Starr and Moffat roads.

It will cost taxpayers an estimated 31 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, or $62 a year for a $200,000 home.

Halloran said they are also meeting with mechanical, electrical, structural and civil consultants, to determine needs for heating and cooling, computer systems, parking, among others.

“We have to get all the plans finalized for the county to approve before we go out to bid,” Halloran said. While their initial hope was to do that in October or November, Halloran estimates they will actually do that in January or February, with a spring 2015 groundbreaking.

She said if this happens, they could open the department’s new facility by the end of 2015.

Halloran said the Newman Lake Fire and Rescue Auxiliary and citizen advocates helped with passing the bond, which needed a supermajority of at least 60 percent of the vote to pass. Nearly 65.5 percent of voters said yes in April

“We had fantastic support out here,” she said.