Stinson Beach fire district asks Marin County for contribution toward $17 million fire and medical center
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Summary
Leaders of the Stinson Beach Fire Protection District urged the Marin County Board of Supervisors to provide a one‑time county contribution as seed funding to help complete a planned $17 million combined fire and medical center, saying the project would expand emergency response capacity in a high wildfire‑risk area.
Jim Ritchie, president of the Stinson Beach Protective District, and Carl Nichols of the Stinson Beach Fire Protection District told the Marin County Board of Supervisors during the county’s Feb. 26 budget workshop that their districts are seeking a county contribution toward a new combined fire and medical center in Stinson Beach.
Ritchie said the district has “raised, for close to $5,000,000 by now” and asked the board to provide matching or seed funds to help reach what speakers described as a $17,000,000 project goal. Nichols said the new facility would allow the district to transition from an all‑volunteer model to a modern, staffed fire and medical center and stressed the district’s role in wildfire response and other emergency services for residents and the many visitors to Stinson Beach.
The request was presented during the public comment portion of the county’s special budget development workshop. Speakers framed the project as both a public‑safety investment and a regional benefit: Nichols noted the district protects roughly 770 structures and performs water and auto rescues in addition to wildfire response. Ritchie encouraged board members to read letters of community support he said had been submitted to county staff.
County staff did not adopt a final funding decision at the Feb. 26 session. The budget office presented a timeline for May budget hearings and said further deliberation of one‑time funding priorities will occur as staff finalizes the proposed fiscal 2025–26 budget. No vote or appropriation for the project was recorded on Feb. 26.
Clarifying details: the speakers characterized the full project goal as $17,000,000 and said the district had raised “close to $5,000,000.” The speakers requested a county contribution described as matching or “seed money”; no dollar amount from the county was specified at the meeting. The district said it plans to move from a volunteer department to a staffed facility; exact staffing plans (number of paid positions, ongoing operating cost estimates) were not provided during public comment.
