Fire District Expected to Vote 'No' on New Station

Updated 12:00am Tuesday

The Novato Fire Protection District is expected to reject bids to rebuild Station 64 when it meets this Wednesday, putting the project on hold indefinitely.

Station 64 serves Ignacio, Bel Marin Keys and the College of Marin and receives the majority of emergency medical service calls in Novato. But ever since structural defects several years ago, the firehouse has had to make do with temporary quarters in a rented mobile unit.

The district had planned to rebuild, but has been stymied by ongoing soil remediation and increased construction costs. Now with the cheapest bid coming in at $500,000 over the $3.9 million budget, it appears it will be a while longer before southern Novato gets a new fire station.

“We will have to wait until the economy improves,” said Chief Mark Heine.

Heine, who was appointed chief this June said the lack of a new station has not had any impact on response times, which currently average five minutes and 15 seconds. The fire district board has set a standard of responding to 90 percent of all calls in eight minutes or less.

The district’s primary source of income is property taxes, which have dropped in the recession. In 2008, the district collected $20.5 million in property taxes, but took in under $20 million last fiscal year. Meanwhile personnel costs have continued to grow, with the district spending $18.9 million on salaries and benefits compared to $18.4 million in 2008.

Are you concerned about the lack of a permanent firehouse in south Novato?