Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue expects to begin work on replacing the aging facility this winter

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue’s plans to rebuild its primary station in Newberg will be laid out to the community in more detail at a meeting scheduled for mid-July.

The meeting is set for 7 p.m. July 16 at Station 20, 414 E. Second St., and will give attendees an opportunity to view renderings for the rebuilt station, hear a brief overview of the project and approach district leadership with questions.

The station was first built in 1940 when it was moved from city hall to its current location. The facility houses eight personnel per shift (24 total), who staff an engine, rescue rig, a medic and half of the department’s water rescue team. The station also maintains one of three wildland caches of equipment it utilizes when the team is deployed in Yamhill County.

TVF&R officials have said, although Station 20 has undergone several additions over the past decade, it has operational deficiencies, suffered from a mold incident in February that required the crews to temporarily relocate and needs critical seismic updates.

The agency brought in consultants to evaluate the building and provide a cost comparison for remodeling the existing structure versus a complete rebuild. Estimates for renovating the structure came in at between $3 million and $5 million, while the cost of constructing the new building has yet to be determined, officials said.

Projections are that construction of the roughly 17,000-square-foot new building, once the land use and permitting processes are completed, will take 14 to 20 months and begin this winter. In the interim, Station 20 personnel will respond to calls from temporary housing near the station.

Officials expect the general population will see no change in emergency response during construction. Some additional personnel will also respond from Station 21 on Springbrook Road.

Soderstrom Architects has designed the new building, which will be erected by contractor Kirby Nagelhout Construction.

“The firefighters and paramedics responding out of Station 20 have managed through temporary displacements such as water problems during storms and response challenges due to the current layout,” Corrine Haning, a TVF&R public affairs officer, said. “The crews are excited to have a fire station that allows them to efficiently respond to community emergencies and supports first responder wellness.”

Construction will be funded by 2021 bond levy

Voters within TVF&R’s vast footprint approved a $122 general obligation bond in 2021 for upgrades to facilities primarily in Washington and Yamhill counties. The rebuilt station in Newberg will be brought up to seismic standards and “incorporate operational efficiencies for improved response,” a release said.

Rebuild driven by response times, facilities’ lifespan

Facility lifespan, fiscal support from voters and response needs are what typically drives TVF&R to consider constructing new facilities, officials have said.

Newberg’s station is among 10 within the agency’s boundaries that are slated to be built or rebuilt, thanks to the bond passed in 2021.

Officials have said that the agency keeping an eye on the future is the primary reason that Station 20 must be rebuilt.

“We are committed to providing the highest level of service to the city of Newberg and the surrounding area, rebuilding Station 20 will help meet future call demands, improve emergency response, and provide a safe place for our firefighters and paramedics to be housed,” Stefan Myers, a TVF&R public information officer, said in February.

How did we get here?

In 2016, the city of Newberg dissolved its longstanding fire department and contracted with TVF&R for fire and emergency medical services. Two years later local voters agreed to annex the city into TVF&R’s boundaries.

The fire agency then signed a 99-year lease for Station 20 that prevents the city from using the land or building for anything else.

In January, TVF&R announced plans to raze the station and construct a new one. To that end the organization asked the city to end the lease and hand over the building and the property on which it sits — a move common among the other municipalities where TVF&R has assumed fire and medical services.

The city council declined to do the transfer, so the property will revert back to city full control in 91 years.