Elizabeth Wilson
Record-Bee staff
LAKEPORT — The Lakeport Fire District monthly board meeting saw the culmination of a two-year long effort to secure property for a new and larger Lakeport fire department. It was a process of swapping parcels, said Lakeport Mayor Roy Parmentier, who sprang to his feet when the item came up on the agenda, saying: “let”s get this signed!”
The site of the future new fire station, a nearly four and one-half acre parcel located at Lanaccou Street off of Lakeport Boulevard, was city-owned property the fire district was able to secure by trading a smaller, two and one-half acre parcel owned by the fire district located at nearby Bevin”s Court. The current fire department on Main Street in Lakeport is situated on city-owned property, which according to fire district Chief Ken Wells has meant that making changes is more difficult when the fire district is not the property owner.
“We will own the new site, which will be nice because we can”t do anything with this one because it belongs to the city. We hope to be able to eventually expand as the community grows, and the new property will allow us to do that,” said Wells, a large sketch of the new building design covering most of his desk. He added that the department has overgrown the current building.
The new design looks to be about twice the size of the current building, which will continue operating until the new building is finished and settled in, according to Wells. “Then it”s up to the city what will become of it [the current Main Street, Lakeport Fire Department building],” he said.
There is no estimate of when ground will break for construction of the new building. “It all depends on escrow and how fast things go through,” said Wells, who added that the sign-off that swapped the fire-district owned Bevin”s Court property with the “more centrally located” property near Lakeshore Boulevard was an integral step in the project.
Funding for the project will come out of fire mitigation fees. “These are fees paid to us by taxpayers who build new homes,” said Wells.
Lakeport Mayor Roy Parmentier, who shook hands with Lakeport Fire District Board Chairman Don Davidson after the two signed the document said it was “about time the city and the district worked together” and that the swap benefits both entities.
“The Bevin”s Court property might be utilized by the city to swap for other property to do things such as street alignments (expansion of streets or additions such as a four-way stop)?it could be used for a number of projects, we”re not sure yet,” said Parmentier.
The fire district had looked at several other properties before identifying the Lanaccou parcel as an ideal and money-saving opportunity. They then worked with city officials to seal the deal. Other parcels would have cost the fire district dearly?up to $1 million dollars, while the deal signed Tuesday evening allowed for an even trade.
“This project has been going on for two years. They were able to get things done because of the Mayor and Chief Wells,” said Lakeport Fire District Board Chairman Don Davidson.
