Construction to start on new Santa Paula fire station after old building is demolished
A fire station on 10th Street in Santa Paula will be demolished and rebuilt while a temporary station is set to open next to the California Oil Museum.
The new Ventura County Fire Station 29, located downtown at 114 S. 10th St., will take about two years to construct. The temporary facility, also downtown and not far from the permanent site, will open in approximately three to four months.
"This is probably the most impressive building the county's built in decades," said James Mason, the economic and community development director for Santa Paula, of the new station. "They've built some big stuff, but not to the level of detail that's in this building."
The estimated cost for both facilities is $13.6 million, which includes construction and project management fees, said Tom Kasper, business services manager for the Ventura County Fire Department.
The permanent building will be approximately 13,000 square feet with seven dorm rooms and quarters for a battalion chief, Kasper said.
The temporary facility will include a trailer with three bedrooms and two bathrooms as well as shipping containers for storage, he said.
After the temporary site is complete and firefighters move in, demolition of the existing Station 29 can begin, Kasper said.
When the temporary facility is operating, there'll be no parking for the oil museum, which is currently closed, in the short term, said Santa Paula City Manager Dan Singer.
"That was the downside," Singer said, adding he and staff members went to the City Council in March to get feedback.
There is an alleyway behind the museum building for some parking, he said. Parking is also available downtown.
A plan to rebuild the fire station has been in place for years.
In July 2018, the Santa Paula Fire Department joined the Ventura County Fire Protection District. The county, at the time, committed to building two new fire stations to replace current ones within the next five years.
Kasper said there are also plans to refurbish Station 26 at 536 W. Main St., but he didn't have financing details or a timeline.
"We don't plan on completely tearing that station down, but it will be a very extensive remodel and our firefighters won't be there during construction," Kasper said.
The firefighters will stay at the newly constructed fire station, he said.
Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Santa Paula to start fire station construction after demolition
