The Chehalis Fire Station has not been home for city firefighters since an asbestos-related evacuation in August.
The Lewis County Fire District 6 station on Jackson Highway just south of Chehalis will be home to the Chehalis Fire Department for the foreseeable future.
A sign taped to the garage doors at the Chehalis Fire Station tells passersby the station is not occupied.
The Chehalis City Council will consider Monday an update to the interlocal agreement between the city and Lewis County Fire District 6 accounting for the now indefinite housing of the Chehalis Fire Department by Fire District 6 at its facility on Jackson Highway.
Chehalis firefighters evacuated their building at 455 NW Park St. in August following the accidental release of airborne asbestos during renovations. City and Fire District officials hammered out an agreement in September for what was anticipated to be a temporary cohabitation while the Chehalis station underwent decontamination. That changed late last year as a fast-growing list of structural and infrastructure-related failings within the historic brick building led city staff to recommend abandoning the building for the purpose of fire operations.
Should the City Council and Fire District 6 leaders sign off on the changes, Chehalis will see its rent for sharing the Jackson Highway station more than double to $3,000 from the original rate of $1,400. The increase reflects the impact of ongoing wear and tear to the facility as well as housing of Chehalis fire staff and equipment, use of supplies and utility costs.
Chehalis Fire Chief Ken Cardinale did not return a call seeking comment prior to press time.
“I would anticipate we’re talking years,” Chehalis City Manager Jill Anderson said. “There’s really not a good alternative in the meantime. This is not something we would have probably chosen to do initially, but it really is the best option available at this point in the game.”
Anderson added that city staff have continued efforts to secure a location for a new fire station in Chehalis, with a stated goal of acquiring that land by the end of this year. Long-running discussions between the city and Fire District 6 about potentially consolidating the two fire departments remain a factor in the search. Fire District officials have offered to explore some expansion of their facility to better accommodate Chehalis, Anderson said.
Chehalis has paid for some minor modifications to the Fire District 6 station such as adding storage and other small items meant to help make life a little easier for those sharing the building. City officials hope to have their list of potential locations narrowed down to finalists sometime this summer, according to Anderson. Even if consolidation occurs, there will be a need for a station of some size and scope within Chehalis city limits.
Once the city has a piece of land set aside for a new station, it can begin applying for state and federal grants to help pay for what will be a multi-million dollar construction project. The city has begun to set aside money to purchase property for a station, but would need to rely on outside funding sources for building costs.
“We’ve looked at a number of different properties,” Anderson said. “It’s difficult to find the right locations that are big enough and don’t flood.”
Flooding concerns were one obstacle raised when the potential for building a temporary fire station between Walmart and Home Depot in Chehalis was raised at a council meeting earlier this year. It was brought up in the context of potential stopgaps that, while possible, carried significant obstacles to being feasible.
Storage capacity remains a concern at the Fire District 6 location, with some items rarely used by Chehalis firefighters remaining at the old station, now only accessible by appointment. City staff are vetting other potential storage sites, such as the city wastewater treatment plant, for equipment that gets used once or twice a month.
