The proposed trade of the city-owned, fire district-leased River City Hall fire station and the Durango School District 9-R administration building owned by Durango Fire Protection District received approval from Durango City Council and the DFPD board of directors on Tuesday.
A formal trade agreement still needs to be drafted and approved by City Council, although direction was given for staff members to produce the paperwork.
The deal will allow DFPD to take ownership of the River City Hall facility, which the fire district currently leases from the city. The facility houses the fire district’s No. 2 fire station, but it presents cramped spaces and inadequate working and living conditions for firefighters stationed there. Once the fire district owns the property, it can implement construction plans for a brand-new fire station.
The city will take ownership of the 9-R administration building at 201 E. 12th St., which DFPD purchased in December 2021 from Durango School District, and pay the fire district $3,586,275 in addition to giving away River City Hall.
The city is exploring the concept of turning the 9-R administration building into a civic center where several city offices will be housed, including Durango Police Department, community development and other municipal divisions.
Hal Doughty, DFPD fire chief, said he is “tickled to death” negotiations with the city have reached this point, after the fire district has considered 32 separate properties for a new downtown fire station since it “temporarily” moved into River City Hall in 1983.
He said when he was hired eight years ago, the fire district’s board of directors considered securing a site for a new downtown fire station its top priority.
After years of searching for a suitable location for a new downtown fire station, he is pleased a deal has been reached. He said the property swap is a “legacy” decision that will benefit the fire district and city services for years to come.
He said it will cost about $14 million to build a new fire station at the River City Hall site.
José Madrigal, city manager, said the rough cost to turn the 9-R building into a civic center and police department is expected to cost between $34 million to $40 million. In a previous interview, he said the city is probably five years from actually inhabiting the building once a formal agreement is reached.
The fire district plans to borrow some money for its project, and the city is considering the possibility of using a portion of a one-quarter cent 2005 sales tax to help pay for renovations at the former 9-R buildings.
He said in previous meetings Durango School District has shown interest in occupying the city-owned Carnegie Building just across the street from the administration building, which the fire district is allowing the school administration to use in the meantime.
He said a memorandum of understanding between the city and the fire district formed in July 2022 allotted one year to reach an agreement for a property trade, and staff members from both agencies solidified a deal with just about one month to spare.
Members of DFPD’s board of directors were eager to finalize the deal, which Madrigal said would take between 30 and 60 days, including appropriate time to issue notice of a public hearing on the subject.
Likewise, City Council members said they are happy to finally move the needle on a subject that has been on the city’s and fire district’s radar for decades.
Mayor Melissa Youssef said the deal is in the best interest of the public good and the city wants to be transparent through the process.
The trade will include subdividing the River City Hall property, with west 12th Street, the main access road from Camino del Rio, becoming city property, Doughty said. Iris and Veterans parks adjacent to River City Hall will continue to be managed by the city.
Currently, River City Hall accounts for just 10% of the traffic on west 12th Street, with 90% of traffic being visitors to the Powerhouse Science Center, Backcountry Experience and other area businesses. He said rebuilding River City Hall to meet the fire district’s needs should improve the availability of parking spaces at the site for guests of neighboring establishments.
Although site plans for a new downtown fire station are not yet publicly available, Doughty said the gist of it is the facility would be eight bays wide with room to accommodate several ambulances in addition to fire engines and command vehicles.
The No. 2 fire station receives about 2,000 calls for service per year, with emergency services accounting for 70% of calls, he said. It is by far the busiest fire station in the fire district and has two full-time ambulances and crews. It is at full vehicle capacity, but as the city continues to grow, so does the fire district’s service demands.
cburney@durangoherald.com
