Sitting as the Fire Board for both the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District (TMFPD) and the Sierra Fire Protection District (SFPD), Washoe County Commissioners today gave direction to staff to pursue the following with regards to fire service:

* Directed the County’s Fire Services Coordinator to begin discussions between TMFPD and SFPD regarding a possible cost-sharing agreement based on shared response areas to address the approximate $690,000 funding gap needed to build a new fire station in the Arrowcreek area.
* Directed staff to continue to work through the Joint Fire Advisory Board (JFAB) to negotiate contract revisions for the Interlocal Agreement for fire service between the TMFPD and the Reno Fire Department (the two fire departments are currently operating under a one-year extension of the previous agreement). Also directed that those discussions should include consideration of sharing SFPD operations in an effort to fully regionalize fire service.
* Awarded contract to local contractor Al Shankle Construction for $2,361,230 to build a new fire station in the Arrowcreek area, and directed the County’s Public Works Department to negotiate reductions in the scope of work to equal a minimum of $200,000.

SFPD had received federal stimulus funding through a FEMA grant of $2,089,130 to build a new fire station to serve the Arrowcreek area in southwest Reno. The total construction cost was initially estimated to be $2,993,574. With the FEMA grant and $212,380 already spent for pre-design work, the District was challenged with a $692,064 funding gap. SFPD Chief Michael Greene proposed to the Board today that the funding gap could be reduced to $564,715 and identified $493,074 from construction cost savings, a pending land sale and a 7.5% contribution from TMFPD, leaving a funding gap of $71,641. The Board approved a budget augmentation of $564,715 from outstanding excess ending fund balance to the 2010-11 SFPD budget.