News
A New (Equipment) Bay In Morro
Morro Bay Fire Department's New Station
By Tonya Strickland
June 14, 2008 - The Tribune
The Morro Bay Fire Department's new equipment bay now is framed - a visible marker in the station's longtime goal to give its crew a new home on Harbor Street.
At 4,935 square feet, the bay is being constructed at the same site as the previous fire station, which sustained roof damage in the 2003 San Simeon Earthquake.
The structure, designed to house the trucks and other fire gear, is the first of two phases to update the site.
It will boast a curved ornamental facade on a stucco and brick exterior, said Frank Seiple, project manager with Fraser Seiple Architects in San Luis Obispo.
The second phase is now in the design stage, said fire Chief Mike Pond, and will include offices, a training room and living quarters for the firefighters in a two-story building at the same site.
It's unknown when construction will begin on the second phase, Pond added.
Since 2003, the Fire Department has housed its trucks and equipment in a large white tent across the street from the construction site.
Office work takes place in a modular building behind the tent.
The Friends of the Morro Bay Fire Department is selling engraved bricks for the paving around the on-site flagpole. Bricks cost $125.
Proceeds will be used to help train local firefighters and paramedics. For details, call Homer Alexander at 772-8004.
Owner/contractor: City of Morro Bay/Specialty Construction, San Luis Obispo
Architect: Fraser Seiple Architects, San Luis Obispo
Landscape architect: The Environmental Collaborative, San Luis Obispo
Engineers: Bethel Engineering, Santa Maria (civil); Lampman & Smith, San Luis Obispo (structural); Brummel- Myrick & Associates, San Luis Obispo (mechanical); Thoma Electric Co., San Luis Obispo (electrical)
Project value: $2.1 million, phase one; estimated $2.4 million, phase two
What's happening now in construction: The wood framing of the equipment bay is complete, fire sprinklers are being installed and the building's insulation work will begin next week
Expected completion: October