Fire
station designs unveiled
By Thuy-Doan Le -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 a.m. PST Thursday, November 13, 2003
Fire district officials said final designs for the new
Arden Park fire station will answer many residents' concerns about noise,
traffic flow and safety.
Residents received a glimpse of
the proposed station at a recent Arden-Arcade Community Planning Advisory
Council meeting.
 Sacramento
Metropolitan Fire District officials presented a brief plan update and an
artistic rendering of the building at the Nov. 6 gathering. The station will
be constructed at Eastern Avenue and Berrendo Drive.
Arden Park and Fair Oaks will be
the first two facilities of eight to be built in the county as part of
Sacramento Metro's $39 million, 3 1/2-year construction program.
Project manager Charles "Chuck"
Horel said the fire district operates 42 fire stations, has 600 employees
and covers more than 400 square miles.
The Arden Park facility, to be
called Station 110, will replace two stations -- 107 at 970 La Sierra Drive
in Arden Park and 110 at 1616 Mission Ave. in Carmichael.
Stations also will be built in
Rio Linda, North Highlands, Glenbrook, Rancho Cordova, Orangevale and
Vintage Park.
Tom Perkins, battalion chief and
director of community services for the fire district, said in an interview
that a full-time crew will move into the new Arden Park station.
The station will have up to
eight staff members working and will be operated 24 hours a day, seven days
a week. Perkins said Station 107 is now part-time, while Station 110 is
full-time.
Perkins said some areas of the
county have had good coverage while others lacked coverage, because some
stations were placed too close to each other. He said the new plan would
place stations to provide a consistent level of service.
If the Arden Park station is
built, Perkins said, it will be the "newest and most modern facility that
meets the needs of the area for the next 50 years."
Horel said it has been
challenging to design the Arden Park site because it's less than acre in
size, while other acquired properties ranged from 2 to 2 1/2 acres.
The project manager said
neighborhood residents were concerned about the fire station's noise,
traffic flow, children using the intersection and whether the station's
architecture would be compatible with the surrounding community.
The design ensures that vehicles
will enter and exit on Eastern Avenue, not Berrendo Drive, Horel said. He
said there will be adequate planting and a sound wall to muffle noise.
Some people, he said, were
concerned about children crossing Eastern Avenue, since the station would be
built three blocks from Mariemont Elementary School. According to the design
plan, the crosswalk would be relocated slightly to the south on Eastern
Avenue.
"We're in the safety business,
and that's what the fire department's all about -- and making sure that all
the people served remain safe," Horel said. "It's not uncommon or unusual
for a fire station to be situated in a residential area, near children or on
busy roads."
The plan to remove two stations
has concerned several residents, including Karen Klinger, a real estate
agent and membership chairwoman for the Arden Park Homeowners Association.
"I love my neighborhood, and
although the new station is very beautiful, I am not pleased that they are
taking two stations and making (them) into one," Klinger said. "Station 107
was right in the neighborhood, and I have concerns about what will happen to
that station."
Klinger said she had "lots of
questions and lots of concern."
The fire district began the
schematic design phase for both fire stations in August. District officials
plan to apply to the county planning department for a conditional use
permit.
Horel expects a public hearing
on the issue to take place early next year.
He hopes construction can begin
by fall 2004 and be completed in fall 2005.
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