Friends of Ross Firehouse present $11M rehab plan as residents press to restore local engine

Friends of the Ross Firehouse presented a plan to rehabilitate Ross's public safety building and restore a staffed engine company at the Town Council meeting on Jan. 8. Stephanie DeMarco, one of the group's organizers, said the team's technical review and contractor estimates show the existing building can be renovated and repurposed to house police, firefighters and paramedics without expanding the building's footprint.

"We truly believe this plan is credible, it's cost effective and it's a powerful alternative to the town's plan," DeMarco said, introducing consultants and local construction professionals who worked on the proposal.

Ed Dong, one of the volunteers leading the design and cost work, told the council that Alton Construction's summary estimates and the team's design approach yield an $11,000,000 figure for rehabilitation and phased delivery. The team said retaining the exterior footprint and character would make the project eligible for CEQA exemptions for rehabilitation of a historic resource while minimizing new impervious surfaces and avoiding an extended environmental review.

Mike Stanley of Jensen Hughes, who joined the proponent team as a public-safety consultant, told the council Ross currently pays a disproportionate share of the Ross Valley Fire joint-powers operating budget (the presentation cited a historical allocation of roughly 23.37%) while representing about 9.2% of the joint population and a lower share of incident volume. "With the closing of the station, the town no longer enjoys a staffed fire station," Stanley said, noting that the community now faces longer response times and lower reliability from neighboring stations.

Proponents argued the Friends plan could start quickly with money already set aside in the town's capital fund. "We have $12,000,000," Bob Herbst said, and the team offered to serve as volunteers on a working group to refine the scope, provide detailed bids and coordinate with town staff.

Council members pressed the proponents on several technical and financial points. Questions included the extent and adequacy of contingency and escalation assumptions, seismic upgrades and compliance with the Essential Services Act, flood mitigation for a bay that sits near the 100-year flood elevation, and whether the Friends' layout met police operational needs (secure interview areas, evidence storage and secure vehicle parking). BRW Architects principal Chris Ford said the design team had modeled the interior program to fit the footprint while leaving the exterior character intact, and that flood-prevention measures such as predeployment of engines and temporary flood barriers were part of their mitigation strategy.

Supporters in the audience emphasized medical and life-safety reasons for restoring local staffing. Several residents, including parents and a physician, recounted occasions when prompt local response was critical. Opponents and some consultants warned the council about underestimating costs and programmatic requirements. Mary McGrath, an architect working with the town's consultant team, reiterated that prior studies and the town's facility program show larger spatial and code requirements for a new public-safety facility and cautioned that a light-touch rehab proposal may not meet all operational needs without additional scope and expense.

The meeting did not resolve the competing technical views. The Friends offered to form a volunteer working group with the town to produce detailed Alton and BRW scopes and documentation; the council and staff asked for time to review those deliverables alongside the town's consultants. The council subsequently received the Elections Code report (see separate article) and discussed next steps, including directing staff to return with options for further evaluation and potential formation of a working group.