Grand County advances Granby EMS Station 1: contracts, permits and design review move forward

Grand County commissioners voted May 20 to allow the chair and county staff to sign final development and improvements documents for the new EMS Station 1 in Granby and to proceed with related permit payments while design work continues.

The action came after County Manager Moyer told the board the Town of Granby approved the project's final development plan and that the town and Headwaters Metro District were making changes to the improvements agreement. The board approved a motion permitting the chair to execute the improvements agreement outside a public meeting, contingent on legal review. The board also authorized the chair to sign the final development plan graphic document and recorded resolution language that directs the manager to sign closing documents and the treasurer to wire funds for a related land purchase (see separate item on OLRT/Windy Gap Ranch).

Why it matters: the approvals clear administrative steps that let the county move from permitting to construction. County staff said they need to reconcile building-permit fees and town waivers before issuing a final pay-now for the permit and that foundation work is scheduled to begin the week after the meeting.

Details: Finance staff and the project team told commissioners two earlier "pay now" checks related to taps and building-permit fees were listed in the vouchers; one building-permit payment of $26,703.60 is being held while staff reconcile a previously waived $15,000 fee with the Town of Granby. Manager Moyer said if reconciliation does not reduce the amount the county will use the check on file and later seek reimbursement from the town.

Design review: later in the meeting the project design team presented exterior and interior renderings and walkthroughs for the station. Presenters said the building includes an apparatus bay sized for the county's fleet, living quarters with bunk rooms and showers, two training/classroom spaces that can divide for separate events, administrative offices and a public entry. Materials and color palettes were shown and the design team said they will provide samples to the county and that final finishes (roof and panel colors, screening and privacy fencing) will be coordinated with the town's Design Review Board.

Backup power and solar: presenters described a smaller generator plus battery storage and a rooftop photovoltaic array sized for onsite consumption. The design team said the project now targets about 25 kW of solar plus roughly 256 kWh of battery storage (charging/discharging logic to support life-safety systems and limit generator runtime). The team said the change reduces generator size and keeps the overall energy resilience objective while addressing utility interconnection limits.

What's next: staff will finalize the improvements agreement and development plan graphics for signature, reconcile the permit fee with the Town of Granby and return vouchers for formal payment. The project team will continue design refinements and bring final construction pricing and permitting documents to the board as they become available.