Lake Forest Park and Kenmore residents have a second chance to approve a construction bond for a new Northshore Fire headquarters on the Feb. 19 ballot.
Although 72.5 percent of the voters in the August 2007 primary supported the bond, the measure ultimately failed due to a low voter turnout. Ballots cast were 177 votes short of validation according to the Northshore Fire Department.
The proposed $25 million bond will help construct a new facility to meet the needs of the existing and expanding population of Kenmore and Lake Forest Park, according to Jack Rogers, a former Northshore fire commissioner and current member of the citizen’s committee to pass the bond in February.
“Our old facility is just bursting at the seams,” he said.
In September 2004 a report by Rice Fergus Miller Architecture &Planning noted a leaking roof, seismic structural concerns, an aging heating and cooling system and space issues among other deficiencies in the current facility. According to the department, annual emergency responses have increased by 53 percent over the past 15 years. Additional land for a training center and an administration facility to help meet growing needs were secured along with the space for a new station at the northwest corner of 73rd Northeast and Northeast 181st Street.
Simply remodeling the old facility proved infeasible, Rogers said. A study determined building a new headquarter station was comparable to fixing the old facility.
Originally presented as a $27 million bond request in August 2007, the size of the station design reduced the bond by $2 million. The projected cost to the taxpayers will be approximately 26 cents per $1,000 of assessed value on property and average $95.13 or about $7.93 per month according to the Northshore Fire Department.
Rogers expects the presidential primary will lead to a larger voter turnout Feb. 19.
“There was an incredible low turnout of voters last August and we didn’t meet the 40 percent of voter turnout,” he said. “I think we’ll meet that this time and the presidential primary will help.”
If voters approve the construction bond next month, construction documents and permits are scheduled to be finalized in August. Project completion is scheduled for January 2010. Additional information about the bond can be found at www.northshorefire.com or by calling the Northshore Fire Department at 425-486-2784.
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