Fire station bond wins big at the polls

With a 70 percent favorable vote on a bond for a new fire station last Tuesday, there are a lot of happy firefighters in Sisters.

"It is a need and we are really pleased that the voters saw that need," said Fire Chief Taylor Robertson. "We were overwhelmed with the support that we had. Passing with 70 percent approval for a tax measure like that is a pretty impressive affirmation of the voters' commitment to the fire service."

The 20-year $2.5 million bond measure will provide the fire district with the funding to update the fire station - and it was a timely decision. Sisters has grown just under 300 percent in the last 15 years, and the need for fire and emergency services has grown proportionally along with the city.

The current fire house was designed for an all-volunteer fire department and was adequate at the time of construction 26 years ago, but that time is long past.

Chief Robertson has confidence in the community, and the vote proved his confidence was not misplaced. He had already initiated some work on the project.

"We've already been operating on the project; we have spent money from reserve funds to get the design work done and get the architects on board," he said.

Chief Robertson believed that it was important that the project would proceed without any unnecessary delays, as it will greatly improve the level of emergency service available to the community.

"We are just waiting for the election results to be certified by the county," Roberton said. "At that point, we will move forward with the bonding process. We have already retained a firm for this purpose.

"We are trying to fast- track this as quickly as possible; we have already started with ordering surveys of the property. So we can start with engineering and those kinds of things."

The timeline for the project had already been formulated as a part of the planning for the project. Chief Robertson is concerned that everything is done to maintain the time line.

"We have a timeline that is already in place for all of this based upon the architects' forecast, and what they say is that it takes quite a while to do the construction documents and bid the project," the chief said. "We are looking at breaking ground as soon as possible, probably in early- to mid-spring."

As to the completion date Chief Robertson reported, "The projection, believe it or not, is to finish around the first of 2008. My actual experience in this kind of thing leads me to believe that it will more likely take a full year to get everything done."

There are many details to be completed; part of the concern is for the updating of the current fire hall which will be incorporated into the new construction. The current fire hall does not meet current national standards, especially fire station construction standards and earthquake requirements, and this is of concern.

The plan is well formulated so that there will be no gaps in coverage due to the project.

"We are doing it in phases," Robertson said. "The good news is that we will be able to continue to operate here on site during the whole process. What we will do is the new construction first and then move over there while the remodel is being done on the older portion."

Of concern to some residents is the old home that is currently being used to house the firefighters on shift. The home is an older Sisters' building but not included on the historical register.

Chief Robertson is also concerned about the building. He said, "Our intent is to save the old house if we can and have it moved. We have checked on its historical significance, and although there is nothing binding on it, we would like to save it if at all possible. It is a part of the history of the area."

If no one can be found who is willing to move the home to another location, it will have to be demolished.

Prior to anything taking place with the old home, other arrangements will need to be made for the house of the crews during the construction process. It is of great concern that response times do not increase during the construction process, and Chief Robertson has reported, "We have a plan to bring in a temporary building and put it right in back, so they can get to the equipment quickly and still have a place to stay at night."