Staff: County plan-check dispute and surprise cost estimate stall Templeton fire station expansion

At a committee meeting, staff reported that permitting disagreements with the county have stalled the proposed Templeton fire station expansion and remodel. Staff said the county plan checker is requiring essential-facility upgrades and is rejecting a proposed single electrical service that the district's engineer designed to split into two feeders.

That matters because the county's interpretation, if upheld, would trigger higher seismic and backup-power standards and likely raise construction costs. "So essential facilities basically says that it'll operate during an emergency like a large earthquake. It's to a higher level of standard," explained the district chief during the meeting.

Staff described the project as an expansion/remodel that would add a day room, kitchen, workout space and a enclosed decontamination/clean room, convert a captain's bedroom into a conference room, and add bathrooms to support 24-hour staffing. The design team proposed a separate-but-connected building to avoid treating the whole facility as an essential facility, a move the architects recommended at professional conferences.

The committee heard a stark revision to earlier cost expectations. "The most recent cost estimate we got from the architect was about $4,900,000," a staff member told the committee, noting the project had been designed around a $2.0'–'2.5 million budget. Staff compared recent local projects that reported roughly $900 to $1,200 per square foot, saying the district's $2,800 per-square-foot estimate appears out of alignment and merits market testing.

Given the uncertainty, staff recommended finishing permitting and, if the county's determination allows, going out to bid to obtain current market pricing. If bids confirm high costs, the board could pause the major expansion and pursue a smaller modernization instead. Committee members cautioned that preparing a formal bid package will itself require additional architect work and expense; "going out to bid isn't free," a staff member warned.

Staff also flagged funding constraints. The capital fund could approach $3 million after engine reimbursement, but district policy requires booking an asset and beginning set-asides for future replacement, which would increase annual operating burdens. The committee directed staff to pursue county contacts, clarify the plan-check rationale, and return with a recommended next step once the county issues a determination or the district pursues an appeal.

The committee did not vote on construction; the next procedural steps are a county determination or an appeals process and a staff report back with permit outcomes and, if appropriate, a bid package recommendation.