$5M downtown station set to take calls at month’s end
We’re not in 1968 anymore – certainly not at the new Fire Station No. 1 in downtown Hollister.
The $5 million project funded with the last of Hollister’s redevelopment agency money is nearing completion. The two-story structure – about 12,300 square feet – sits at the same location as the old firehouse at the intersection of Fifth and Sally streets. That building, about half the size of the new one, had been converted from a tractor garage into a fire station 44 years ago and, in more recent years, had developed an array of issues such as broken pipes and holes in the roof.
The new Station No. 1 – which city officials hope will last for a century – shouldn’t have such problems when it opens in a couple of weeks, as contractor Barry Swenson Builder puts the finishing touches on the project.
Hollister planning official William Avera this week said the construction work is wrapping up and firefighters are expected to possibly start taking calls there by April 28. Since construction started in March 2011, crews of firefighters and one engine have been at a temporary, mobile unit in a lot near the Briggs Building, while the others in the department have been at Station No. 2 on Union Road, built itself in 2005 at a cost of $2.5 million.
Avera said the city hopes the three firefighters stationed at the temporary site will move the last weekend of the month, with the chief and his administrative assistant moving in later.
“The goal is to hopefully have calls run out of there at the end of the month,” Avera said.
It will be a monumental change for the department – with the modernized fire station, designed by WLC Architects, featuring a contemporary art deco style on the exterior. One fan of the station’s look called it “bold” and “creative” and said he couldn’t think of any other buildings in Hollister using the same approach.
Local architect David Huboi said the building could serve to not only remove blight, but also add “vibrant colors” to that area of the city.
While the outside may take a different approach, the inside of the new fire station maintains a focus on functionality. It sure does have everything a firefighter would need, though.
The inside of the structure includes four apparatus bays and allows firefighters to do work on the vehicles by backing to the rear of the building in driveway on the property, instead of pulling them out onto Sally Street as they did previously.
There is a workout gym, a shop room for tools, an array of unisex restrooms on both floors, a conference room on the first floor, a library/training room on the second floor, a family room on the second floor where workers can relax or watch TV, a kitchen, a small patio where they could barbecue, a laundry room and a small pole room from which they can slide to the bay floor.
“This is where it gets redundant,” said Avera, while walking through the building, pointing to the eight dorm rooms and four bathrooms on the second floor.
As Avera pointed out, though, it was built to last a long time and assumes gradual growth in personnel.
“I think it’s a really nice addition to our city,” Huboi said.
