City breaks ground on new fire station
Fire Station 3 will be located on Union Road near Ardmore
Fire Station 3 will be located on Union Road near Ardmore–The City of Paso Robles held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday morning to celebrate the beginning of construction of a new public safety facility located at 2924 Union Road. Once complete, the facility will house Fire Station 3 and a public safety training facility.
Attendees to the ceremony included Paso Robles City Council members, members of the Supplemental Sales Tax Oversight Committee and project contractors and consultants.
“This new facility is emblematic of the city council’s dedication to the primary importance of public safety and just one of the strategies in place to keep Paso Robles residents and their property safe,” says Mayor Steve Martin.
According to reports dating back to 2015, Paso Robles Fire and Emergency Services (PRFES) is understaffed compared to communities of similar size and population and this new facility will allow the city to increase its public safety services and decrease response times by having a facility on the northeast side of the city.
Property for a future fire station was purchased in 2019, and development of plans for Fire Station 3 was initiated at that time. Due to the fiscal impacts of COVID-19, all Fire Station 3 planning was put on hold until the passage of Measure J20, the ½-cent sales tax that will provide the $3-$10 million necessary to complete the project.
In 2018 and 2020, the city accepted SAFER Grant awards of $1.4 million and $1.2 million respectively to cover the salary and benefit costs for a total of nine firefighter positions over a three-year period for each grant, which is helping to make up for the shortfall in staffing until the facility is completed and more staff can be hired.
Fire Station 3 will be built in phases. Grading of the site should start in mid-September, construction of the fire station is expected to start mid-November, with the fire station staffed prior to winter 2022.
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