Durango Fire Protection District is planning a new downtown fire station and it could be built on a different city parcel along Camino del Rio.

Station No. 2 near the intersection of 12th Street and Camino del Rio needs to be replaced because it is undersized and it has insulation and ventilation problems. But rebuilding it at the same location would be challenging for a slew of reasons, Fire Chief Hal Doughty said.

The fire district and Durango City Council have discussed building the new station near the Durango Transit Center along Camino del Rio between Seventh and Eighth Streets or on the parking lot used by the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, Doughty said.

“We have been trying to determine which of those two sites the City Council would be willing to allow us to build a fire station on,” he said.

Both parcels are owned by the city, and if the city allows the fire district to build a station on its land, the city would maintain ownership of the land and it could own the new building as well, he said.

“It’s in both of our best interest to cooperate,” he said.

The fire district would like to build a 20,000-square-foot, two-story building. It would have five bays for fire district vehicles, space for sleeping quarters and administrative offices, he said.

It could have a brick exterior, so it would blend in with other downtown buildings, he said.

The building itself could cost $9 million, and the district would likely buy it through a lease-purchase agreement, which is a common financing structure for fire departments, Doughty said. The district also has some money set aside for the project.

Rebuilding on the current site would likely displace city workers in River City Hall, which shares the building with the fire station. It would also force the fire station to find temporary housing for staff and vehicles stationed there, he said

It would also keep the fire station next to the 12th Street and Camino del Rio intersection, which is not ideal, Doughty said.

The fire department had planned to break ground on a structure this summer, but right now, the timing of the project is dependent on a decision.

“The more quickly we can get a decision on this, the better it is for the fire department,” he said.

As downtown continues to grow, Doughty wants to make sure Station No. 2 has an effective location. Firefighters and EMTs at the station respond to about 1,800 calls a year in the downtown area, he said.

The future of the fire station is also tied to a potential underpass beneath Camino del Rio to connect the Animas River Trail and Main Avenue.

A $100,000 feasibility study will not go forward until a location is selected for the station.

The Durango Fire Protection District board and City Council have held a few work sessions about the topic, and the council has held closed-door meetings to discuss the future of the station. Doughty did not attend the closed-door sessions.

City documents announcing the executive sessions said the matter may be subject to negotiations, developing strategy for negotiation or directing negotiators, so the meetings are allowed by state law.

Councilor Dick White said the council is committed to finding the best site for the fire station, and he would like to see an agreement reached before the council election on April 4.

Once a decision is made, the underpass feasibility study will go out for bids, city officials said.

“We want to make sure we are not wasting any local money,” said Amber Blake, director of transportation and sustainability.

The study is planned to take a broad view and examine possible ways to cross Camino del Rio from Sixth Street to 12th Street, she said.

A Camino del Rio underpass was envisioned in 2007 and 2008, and at the time, a tunnel was intended to create a pedestrian-friendly path from Main Avenue to the Power House Science Center.

A previous study examined an underpass with an entrance near River City Hall and the fire station, and found that it wasn’t feasible until the site was redeveloped, Parks and Recreation Director Cathy Metz said.

“The project was shelved, with a determination that the cost, engineering constraints and lack of support by neighboring business owners made the proposal largely infeasible,” the city’s Multimodal Transportation Plan says.

The plan calls out the need for a grade-separated crossing of Camino, not necessarily an underpass.

The latest feasibility study could happen this year, but if it doesn’t, the funding will stay in the budget for next year, Blake said.

Revenue from a sales tax dedicated to parks, recreation and trails is funding the project, she said.

mshinn@durangoherald.com