Extra $77K approved for fire station project
CALEXICO — The City Council on Wednesday signed off on an unexpected $77,000 expense associated with the construction of a new fire station here.
The project consists of demolishing Calexico Fire Station No. 1, which is located at 430 E. Fifth St., and building a new station at the same location.
The fire station has already been torn down. However, during demolition there were hazardous materials that needed to be removed from the site that added to the project cost.
This cleanup will cost exactly $77,308.
The council unanimously approved the change order on Wednesday.
The completion of the project is still on schedule. Construction at the site began Aug. 3, and completion is due no later than Aug. 3, 2021.
As the City Council was presented with the change order, councilmen Bill Hodge and Camilo Garcia questioned why the cleanup cost hadn’t been planned for.
From the total cost of the change order, $62,565 will be used for the removal of 485 tons of hazardous materials and the importation of 485 tons of new fill material.
“The amount of tons — that was not realized or initially it wasn’t real
ized that hazardous materials would have to be removed?” Hodge asked.
City Manager Miguel Figueroa explained this cost comes as the city needs to follow proper protocol to remove the materials.
“This is an old building that had some sensitive material that had to be carefully removed based on the guidelines that we must follow from the state of California,” Figueroa said. “The process that was followed led for this additional expense to be accounted for.”
The $77,000 will not come from the city’s general fund. It will come from the Measure H Bond.
Measure H was passed by voters in 2010, and $7 million from the bond was designated to construct the new fire
station.
This change order doesn’t push the city too close to its $7 million budget, as, as of Wednesday, the city had already budgeted less than $6 million toward the project (prior to the change order).
This was the first change order that has been issued for the project.
The demolished Station No. 1 building was a two-story building. The new station will be a single story, approximately 9,000-squarefoot building and will include eight unisex bedrooms.
The old station could house only five firefighters at a time.
This is the third time in history that the city has received a new Station No. 1.
The first Station #1
was built on First Street in the early 1900s. The recently demolished Station No. 1 was built in 1971.
The demolition took place on Oct. 27.
As of Wednesday, the site was ready for excavation and the pouring of the foundation.
“I think it’s good for the community that they see that their taxes are working for them, and we are using them appropriately,” CFD Chief Diego Favila told the council. “This is good for the city. The city needs these kind of services, and it looks good for the city.”
“And I know that the fire crews — your firefighters — deserve this. They’ve been deserving of this for many years. We’re finally giving them what they deserve.”