by Kirby Lindsay, posted 17 February 2012
On Saturday, February 11th, as part of the City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Neighbor Appreciation Day, several Seattle Fire Stations hosted open houses. The Station that serves Fremont – Fire Station #9 – had a crowd of kids, and parents, stop by to meet the friendly Fire Fighters, see Engine #9 and the gear they use to keep us safe.
One Fire Fighter admitted he hadn’t known about the open house until that morning, but he still made all the visitors feel welcome. When parents nearly had to drag their young away, the Fire Fighters told the kids they can come visit again, anytime. When Seattle Fire Fighters aren’t responding to an emergency, or attending scheduled training sessions (the crew had one scheduled immediately following the open house) the Stations welcome visits from citizens.
Temporary Station, Same Standard Of Service
Later this year, when Fremonsters want to visit, they will have to look elsewhere. During a complete rebuild of the old Station #9 building, at 3829 Linden Avenue N (near B.F. Day Elementary School,) the City will relocate #9 to an interim station at 3500 Interlake Avenue – one block east of Stone Way.
The interim station is, “expected to be active for about 15 months,” according to Katherine Schubert-Knapp, of Communications & Media Relations for the City Department of Finance & Administrative Services (formerly ‘Fleets & Facilities’.) A letter went out, in October 2011, to surrounding neighbors of the interim site, to explain that the temporary structures on the site would be built well in advance of occupancy. The letter mentions temporary impacts to (removal of) parking along Interlake, near the interim station, to allow the Engine to exit and enter the site. The letter can be seen on-line, and it states that the building will be occupied in Spring of 2012 – although current predictions suggest summer.
The City chose this site, in part, because they already owned the property, and it was not in public use. “More importantly,” explained Schubert-Knapp by e-mail, “it meets the Fire Department’s needs.”
“Citizens can expect the same level of service from the Seattle Fire Department during the construction project,” explained Kyle Moore, Public Information Officer for the SFD. In an e-mail he wrote, “Before the temporary location was chosen, the Department studied response times from the proposed site… The results of the study showed that Engine 9 will still be able to respond to the majority of their emergency calls within four minutes or less.”
Design To Remain The Same
After nearly two years of delay, Schubert-Knapp said a request for contractor bids on the rebuild is planned to go out in March (check the site for City bid requests on-line.) “Assuming we receive an acceptable bid and the contract can be awarded, we expect construction to start this summer,” Schubert-Knapp wrote in early February. “It’s difficult to give a firm date at this point because we have to receive and review the bids, negotiate the contract, etc. We’ll have a better idea about this aspect of the project around the end of May.”
She confirmed that the design details on the new station have not changed since May 2010. The design “we will be building to,” Schubert-Knapp said, is the one approved by the Seattle Design Commission, and is available for review as a .pdf on-line. She also confirmed that features of the new station given in the Fremocentrist.com column from May 2010 “still hold true.”
Delay Over, Demolition Proceeds
The delay did not involve the design. Instead, the delay came from public process and efforts by a small group of concerned Fremonsters to preserve a small, squat substation, built in 1921 and designed by City Architect Daniel Huntington.
The Fremont Neighborhood Council(FNC) fought the remodel, at first on issues about process and the location of the station. Eventually, they joined the Fremont Historical Society, and a few private citizens, to fight for preservation of the 1921 structure, after the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board hadvoted to deny the structure a historic designation. Negotiations between the citizen groups and City representatives found no compromise, and at the January FNC meeting, Board Member Toby Thaler read a letter from another City representative stating that the structure will be demolished.
During the February 11th Open House, the Fire Fighters allowed me inside. The interior does not live up to the pretty façade, although it is clean and tidy – and resembles a nearly empty garage.
The Fire Fighters use the very front of the building with equipment for filling their air tanks. All other materials once stored inside have been removed due to extended water damage. The basement floods, once with black water. On the main floor, a heater has cut down on the severe condensation that once collected inside and caused mold and a strange rain effect.
The structure appears lost, along with the primary 1954 station. In their placeFire Facilities and Emergency Response Levy money will build a new, up-to-date station that supports modern safety standards and can ultimately improve emergency services in Fremont. Also, two #9 Fire Fighters noted, the new building will have improvements like a kitchen that no longer frightens any visitors unfortunate enough to see it.
Schubert-Knapp wrote, “If all goes as planned, the new station will open in early fall 2013,” and the public can expect an invite to a truly Grand Opening of the station. The new station on Linden will contain less history but will operate efficiently and effectively, and allow the SFD to continue to keep us safe, while inspiring our youth.
Related Articles
- A Remodel for Fremont’s Fire Station #9
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- FNC Highlight Reel: Catchin’ Up & Lookin’ Forward
- by Kirby Lindsay, January 27, 2012
©2012 Kirby Lindsay. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.