Marin County ramps up work to build fire headquarters

Multiple Marin County departments are coordinating efforts to bring a new county fire headquarters to the former San Geronimo golf course property by December 2028.

Six department heads took the unusual step of signing a charter laying out the goals of the project at the county supervisors’ most recent meeting last month.

“It clarifies the roles and responsibilities of each department so that it’s clear who is going to do what in order to move the project forward,” said Christopher Blunk, interim director of the county’s public works department

“We’ll take the lead on developing and delivering the project, but it’s going to take an all-hands approach from many departments in order for the project to be successful,” ” Blunk said.

With the help of an outside contractor, Kitchell Corp., public works is considering whether to use the standard design-bid-build approach, which involves a design team and a general contractor working for the owner under separate contracts, or a design-build approach, where a single firm handles both the design and construction.

During the meeting, supervisors authorized the issuance of a request for proposals for public engagement and outreach services for the project.

The preliminary cost estimate for the project is $86 million, but the county has budgeted only about $40 million for it to date, including just under $10 million in the current budget.

The existing Marin County Fire Department’s headquarters, located in Woodacre, is outdated and undersized. Many of its buildings were constructed in the 1940s, while the newest structures were added in the 1970s.

“At that point the fire department had only two platoons; we have three now,” said Marin County fire Chief Jason Weber. “The current headquarters has significant needs for upgrades and just doesn’t meet the requirements of the contemporary fire department that we have today.”

The county fire department manages wildland fire prevention and protection over 200,000 acres of state responsibility area land and 80,000 acres of federal land. It employs 148 full-time staff and over 150 seasonal employees. The county headquarters supports fire service operations in Nicasio, Lucas Valley, Forest Knolls, Lagunitas, San Geronimo, Woodacre, and Fairfax.

Weber said relocating the headquarters to the former golf course at 5800 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. will lower incident response times in many instances.

During the December meeting, the fire chief displayed an incident map illustrating the locations that county fire personnel had responded to calls during 2023. Many of the locations were west of the department’s current headquarters, closer to the former golf course.

In addition, Weber said that over the years houses have been built close to the current fire headquarters making it more difficult for engines to make speedy departures.

Regarding the need for public outreach on the plan, Marimar Ochoa, a spokeswoman for the county fire department, said, “If we’ve learned anything as a county it’s that we’re stronger together, and it’s important that we get the community’s perspective on any changes that are happening in the county and San Geronimo Valley as a whole.”

The county’s acquisition of the 157-acre golf course turned into a seven-year saga due to opposition from golfers and others who opposed the county’s plans to acquire the property for public recreational use and for repair and preservation of wildlife and fish habitats at the site.

The Trust for Public Land purchased the property in December 2017 for $8.85 million with the expectation that the county would reimburse it by December 2019. Lawsuits filed by opponents, however, delayed that process. Opponents even qualified a measure for the March 2020 ballot that would have required voter approval for any change in the primary golf course use of the property, but the proposition failed to get the majority support it needed.

In 2022, the Marin Open Space Trust (MOST) purchased a conservation easement from the Trust for Public Land on 135 acres of the former golf course for $3.2 million. The easement limits use of the 135 acres to passive recreation such as hiking, biking and equestrian access.

In April, county supervisors authorized the purchase of the remaining 22 acres for $4.5 million after an environmental study cleared the way for building a new fire station there.

The proposal reviewed in the environmental study calls for the construction of a 20,000-square-foot firehouse and firefighter training facilities. It also envisions repurposing the existing golf course clubhouse to serve as the administrative offices for the fire department.

The training facilities would include a five-story, 45-foot tall training tower, addition of a 128-foot wide paved apron and driveway, outdoor lighting, a flashing warning light on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and the creation of stormwater retention ponds.

The “initial study” noted that numerous members of the public commented negatively on the visual effects of the proposed project.

According to the study, “Commenters contend that the proposed fire station facilities would be visually prominent, unattractive, ‘industrial’ in nature, and out of character with the rural or bucolic setting of the San Geronimo Valley.”

The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria complained that they hadn’t received the opportunity to adequately evaluate the site for tribal cultural resources prior to the supervisors’ approval of the environmental study.

At the December meeting, however, Lorelle Ross, vice-chair of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria Tribal Council, said, “We remain committed to working alongside Marin County leadership and stakeholders to create a facility that strengthens fire and emergency response capabilities while honoring the cultural and environmental integrity of the site.”

Alexa Davidson, executive director of the San Geronimo Valley Community Center, said, “We’re really excited for where things are headed.”

Suzanne Sadowsky of Woodacre expressed her support for the project, but she urged supervisors to also consider building new housing at the site.

“Most of us older residents want to be able to age in place in our community,” Sadowsky said. “We also want to be assured that our families, our children and grandchildren can continue to find affordable homes for themselves.”