HAYWARD, CA—The city could be facing more than a $15 million shortfall as it looks to pay for a new fire station and firefighter training center at the Hayward Executive Airport.
Construction of the facility, a partnership with the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District, is estimated to cost $57 million, according to city officials.
But that amount does not include spin-off costs, such as demolition of the current fire station at the airport, portables for firefighters while work is taking place, and paying for furniture and equipment at the new station.
“There are many other items that add to the cost of the project for a total of about $76 million estimated today,” Alex Ameri, director of public works, told the City Council on Tuesday. “It could be less than that, it could be more, depending on the lowest bids that we receive.”
The projected shortfall is now $15.6 million, Ameri said.
Along with students from Chabot’s fire academy, the new facility at 1401 W. Winton Ave. likely will serve firefighters from across the region because few locations exist for training in the Bay Area, with land being snatched up for housing.
An old BART car and a concrete structure that will replicate a collapsed parking garage will be available for firefighters to hone their search-and-rescue skills.
A mid-sized aircraft, similar to a Gulfstream jet, will be available as a prop that can be set on fire so firefighters can practice extinguishing blazes and pulling people from confined spaces.
Ameri said in a background report for city officials that the cost of securing the props is not included in the current estimate, and if they are not donated, the project’s bill could climb higher.
On Tuesday, the council unanimously signed off on plans and specifications for the new station near Interstate 880, as well as to receive bids after the Federal Aviation Administration and the Division of State Architect signal their approvals.
Money for the replacement of the Hayward Fire Department’s Station 6 is coming from Measure C, a half-cent sales tax that Hayward voters approved in June 2014. The college district will cover the remaining $20 million.
Ameri said in the report that city staff will likely recommend any funding to make up the shortfall come from money received through the sales tax, but will bring the council options after bids have been received and before a contract is awarded.
Any revenue generated from the center and station will go to the city. The college district will receive “in-kind” benefits to use the classrooms and other training facilities, including through maintenance provided by the city.
The council considered the new station and training center Tuesday as part of its consent calendar, or issues that are considered routine and typically approved without debate.
But under questioning from Councilwoman Aisha Wahab, who asked to discuss the new facility, Ameri said any future contractor would face penalties for failing to meet deadlines, and that the city will have a better idea about the project’s overall cost after bids come in.
Construction should be completed by summer 2021, or just before college classes start for the school year, Hayward fire Chief Garrett Contreras told the Planning Commission in October last year. The work will include tearing down and replacing a four-story training tower and constructing nine buildings.
The current airport station and training tower were built in the 1970s.
While construction is taking place, firefighters will work out of portables at the airport. The station handles about 2,600 calls annually, including from industrial areas west of I-880.
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