CKFR construction of new Olympic View fire station first of several in seismic upgrade plan

SILVERDALE — If a major earthquake hits Kitsap County fire stations in Central Kitsap, some older than 50 years may collapse. Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue, as part of a bond approved in 2020, has begun the work to lessen that risk.

On Wednesday morning, a groundbreaking ceremony where the new Olympic View Community Fire Station will be built over the following 12 months marked the first step of a series of CKFR's projects to combine, replace or remodel its nine fire stations. All of the new fire stations will meet seismic standards, which means the buildings will better resist an earthquake, fire officials said.

"It's a replacement of a station that lasted over 50 years. Hope it's good for another 50," CKFR Fire Chief John Oliver said. The current Olympic View station, Station 52, was built in 1963.

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CKFR staff, volunteers and its board of commissioners participated in the ceremony. Due to COVID-19, the public was invited to watch livestream on social media.

"It's exciting, an exciting point for our community," CKFR Fire Chief John Oliver said, who thanked the support of the citizens at the ceremony.

Flagship station for bond's upgrades

The new Olympic View station, which will be located at 5328 NW Anderson Hill Road, will be about 11,000 square feet in size. The station will include four apparatus bays and living and sleeping quarters for six personnel, as well as a small public vestibule and commensurate working areas for staff.

The construction of Station 52 is estimated to complete in February 2023, Oliver said.

"Even though it's not the largest building that we're building, it really is going to be the flagship of this program," CKFR Assistant Chief Mike Tague said.

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The new Station 52 will set the standard in construction technique, materials, and design that other new stations will follow, Tague said.

"You'll see a common in design. They'll be very prominent," Tague said. "We want the community to recognize our buildings. They'll be able to look at CK fire station and feel that's a Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue building."

Done with public support

CKFR is able to execute projects of replacing five fire stations and remodeling four due to voters' approval of a $58.3 million facility bond for CKFR. The 20-year bond won the support of 72.8% of voters in the election in 2020. Property owners in the CKFR taxing district will pay an estimated 32 cents per $1,000 of assessed value over the life of the bond.

With the bond, the total rate for the CKFR taxing district in 2022 would be about $2.17 per $1,000 of assessed value, which includes its regular property tax levy, voter-approved bond and EMS levy, according to Kitsap County Assessor’s Office.

Before Station 52, the last station CKFR built is Station 56 in Seabeck, which was around two decades ago, Oliver said.

Constructions of the other eight fire stations promised by CKFR are on the way. The agency is preparing to get permits from the county for Station 45, on Trenton Avenue at Illahee Road, and estimates to start construction in May, Tague said.

The third project will be Station 57, near Lake Symington. The new Station 57 on Coho Run Road, currently in the design process, will contain four bays and five dorms. Station 53 in Seabeck is in the design process. CKFR will start to discuss the design of Station 51 in Silverdale later this year, Tague said.

Projects to remodel Station 64 in Chico, Station 41 at Meadowdale, Station 56 on Seabeck Highway and Station 42 at Island lake will begin next year after CKRF sells the bond this fall, Oliver said.

Reach breaking news reporter Peiyu Lin at [email protected] or on Twitter @peiyulintw.

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This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue breaks ground on Olympic View station