Modernizing the Beulah Fire Service

On Thursday the BCC will vote to approve a purchase contract for the property and facility at the Beulah Fire Station as step one in modernizing that facility.

Tomorrow's agenda of the Board of County Commissioners contains an action item for the purchase of the Beulah Fire Station and associated property from the Beulah Volunteer Fire Department.  This is step one in modernizing this aging and inadequate facility so that we can maintain a robust fire service presence in this growing portion of the county.  And it is my vision and my preference that the Volunteers maintain control of this station via a use agreement once we acquire this property.  I also support, if necessary, the establishment of a "day crew" of paid firefighters to man this station during the daytime hours--if this is found to be beneficial and needed after consultations with the volunteers.

To do this, we need to purchase this property, acquire some additional adjacent property, and then modernize the existing bay and facility while adding on a brand new addition containing shower facilities, a kitchen, meeting spaces, and bunk facilities.  This has been a plan for some time, however in early 2016 the purchase fell through.

Once we get the property, if we can come to terms with the Beulah Volunteer Firefighters, Inc. (non-profit corporation that owns this property) I will move quickly to get the ball rolling on the plan to modernize this facility.  Because of the fact that this property is a conglomeration of properties, a portion of which was donated by ECUA--the county is the ideal purchaser of this land.  If another purchaser (a private person) were to pursue this land, the portion of the ECUA donated property would revert back to the County or ECUA--not the new "purchaser."  If the county acquires the property, I'm told we would acquire the entire parcel through the closing process and ECUA would back out.  This makes this parcel ideal for the county, and much less attractive on the open market to an individual buyer.

So my intent is to approve the purchase contract tonight, and hopefully the volunteers will accept the offer and we can move forward with the next phases of this plan--modernizing the facility and adding a bucket truck so that our station has the equipment necessary to handle any potential issues at the new, large building being constructed on the NFCU campus.

If, by chance, the deal cannot be closed with the volunteers, if a much higher-than (market) price is required--then we will perhaps have to look at construction of a new fire facility somewhere else in a central area of Beulah--perhaps over on our soon to be acquired property OLF 8--which in some respects would be closer to the concentrated areas of growth in Beulah and perhaps a better location for a new, modern fire service facility and would not require us to "purchase" the land needed. But Make no mistake--my first choice and option is to leave the station right where it is and to fix it up and modernize it where it stands. It would also be my intention to have the volunteers sign a use agreement and run this new facility if they so choose, as well.

Bottom line:  I respect and support the volunteer firefighters and I want to equip them in an equitable manner so they can continue to serve our growing community--and it is time for this facility to be modernized.