Terry’s Corner Fire Station Remodel Begins

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The walls of Terry's Corner Fire Station have come down. The seismic upgrade and remodel the final project slated to use the $10 million in bond funds approved by Camano Island Fire and Rescue district residents began last week.

And it's on budget and on time. That's no small feat considering the challenges have only grown since the district began design on the project. The district already knew that the septic system was failing, the building trusses were overspanned, creating a sagging roof, and that one wall was visibly bowed. The building was not safe in an earthquake, to be sure.

But after the first assessment, when the crews dug in deeper, it became clear the problems were much bigger than that. Add to that the change to Island County's Critical Areas Ordinance which expanded the buffers on wetlands.

To maintain the environmental integrity of the site, which includes substantial wetlands, the building's existing footprint and foundation remain the same. Other than that, it's being entirely re-constructed.

"We tried to save the building, but the cost was excessive" said Vicki Cargile with Vic Associates, the construction management lead. The $1.84 million construction bid was awarded to Colacurcio Brothers of Blaine. Nearly a quarter of that cost is paid for with federal grant funds.

"If we hadn't been successful in getting a federal grant, much of this project would not have been possible," said Chief Mike Ganz.

The Terry's Corner remodel uses $450,000 in funding that includes $56,000 in matching funds, another $56,000 in state dollars and $338,000 in federal grant monies. The funds were awarded for the seismic upgrades via the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Emergency Manager Mike Simmons took the lead in writing the grant.

The majority of the $10 million bond helped to fund the seismic upgrades and remodels of the Country Club and Terry's Corner Stations and build a new Madrona Station, which was not economically feasible to repair or upgrade. The district also used the funds to augment water supply capabilities in the south part of the island by installing a water tank and purchasing a water tender for the Mabana Station.

"Our ability to improve our response times and capabilities always comes down to staffing and fire flow. These bond funds have been strategically used to improve the district's capacity at all points on the island," said Ganz. "Ultimately we'll be able to house more firefighters overnight, and reduce their response times."

During the construction period, one volunteer engine will be housed within the maintenance facility at Terry's Corner. The maintenance services of the district will continue to operate from the same location during construction, and will remain on site after construction is complete.

The 24-hour crews are moved to the Vista Madrona Station, which will serve the north end of Camano and Stanwood.While the bond was approved before the economic downturn, the timing has been fortunate on two levels. First, the influx of bond money into the community has, whenever possible, employed local contractors, and gone to local suppliers for sand, gravel concrete and lumber. Secondly, the economy resulted in lower bids, allowing the district to meet its goals.

"We really want to thank our contractors for helping us stay on time and on budget," said Chief Ganz. "But mostly, it's our community we're grateful to. Without the federal grant and the passage of the bond, our ability to serve the district would be measurably impacted. The community's support is indispensible."



Author:Camano Island Fire & Rescue Dept. Press Release