Pasadena may OK $1.9M to fix Fire Station 39

The Pasadena City Council is expected Monday to approve spending $1.9 million for seismic retrofits to the San Rafael neighborhood’s shuttered Fire Station 39.

The Planning Department determined Station 39 is eligible for historic preservation. Because of this and the city’s failure to find a suitable location for a new facility while Station 39 undergoes repair work, staff recommended committing to fixing up the existing the station.

The estimated cost of the project is $2.4 million, according to a staff report.

Seven of the city’s eight fire stations have seismic safety problems and need to be upgraded or replaced, City Manager Michael Beck said.

In August fire officials said it would cost about $3 million to retrofit the current station and preferred moving to another site in the neighborhood. However Pasadena was unable to find another temporary or permanent location that would be suitable and acceptable to neighbors.

“With the exception of a couple of rental homes it’s becoming very unlikely we will find a (temporary) site,” Beck said. “We would continue doing what we’re doing now which is having the area serviced by other stations in the city, Los Angeles and South Pasadena untl the renovation is completed.”

Pasadena officials in May designated $500,000 for the planning and design of a replacement building. That money will now go to fixing up Station 39. The rest of the money will come capital funds, which currently has a balance of $243,401, and the reallocation of $1.6 milliion left over from already completed capital projects.

However the reallocation would take away funding for projects in the 2013 budget.

-- Adolfo Flores, Times Community News

Twitter: @AdolfoFlores3