Chief briefs council on new Fire Station 28; staff asks whether to build second station concurrently

The Woodstock fire chief and city staff updated the mayor and council on Fire Station 28 (RidgeWalk/Parodi), provided a construction estimate and discussed staffing and the possibility of building a fourth station concurrently to capture cost savings.

Chief Dobson (Fire Chief) described the RidgeWalk/Parodi location and the station design and said the project was being sited and designed to integrate with nearby development. Jeff (city staff) said the city selected Spratlin and Sons as construction manager at risk and that the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) to date is $7,500,000, which includes $500,000 in contingency; Jeff said the construction estimate for the station itself is $7,000,000 and that unused contingency would return to the city.

Chief Dobson said the city submitted a SAFER grant application on June 30 seeking 12 firefighters; staff expect award notifications and noted the grant period would run roughly from Aug. 18 through Sept. 30 if awarded. He explained how the 12 SAFER positions would be allocated across a three-platoon, 24/48 schedule to provide minimum staffing and relief factors and how those positions support meeting NFPA 1710 response benchmarks for effective response force and response times.

The chief and staff presented a scenario for building a second station (Long Drive site) shortly after the RidgeWalk station, arguing that concurrent construction could reduce architectural fees (staff estimated about 35% savings on architecture for the second station) and at least 10% savings on construction costs due to mobilization and ordering advantages. Staff said site differences (rock at RidgeWalk) could affect savings and cautioned that detailed guaranteed numbers for a concurrent build would require further work with subcontractors and the construction manager.

Council members asked for operating-cost and staffing estimates if a second station were built concurrently; staff said the capital savings could be significant but that operating and staffing costs would need explicit forecasting, and they agreed to provide more detailed operating and life-cycle estimates before any decision to proceed. Staff also discussed apparatus options, including refurbishing an existing 2003 apparatus to equip a new station in the near term rather than buying a new vehicle with a 48-month lead time.

No final decision to build a second station was made; staff said they would return with detailed cost estimates for concurrent construction, operating and staffing implications, and a finalized guaranteed maximum price for the second station if council expresses interest.