San Diego fire stations have water and sewage problems
SAN DIEGO (CNS) – Fixing water and sewage lines are among the maintenance needs at San Diego’s fire stations as city officials deal with a huge infrastructure backlog, the city’s Independent Budget Analysts Office reported Friday.
Preliminary data from an assessment of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department’s 50 facilities, when compared to a similar study in 2009, shows continued deterioration, the IBA said.
The current study has covered half the department’s buildings and come up with $29 million worth of needs, or already $7 million more than the study conducted five years ago, according to the IBA. Another 16 stations still need to be examined.
The SDFRD has 47 neighborhood fire stations, an airport location, a communications center and a training facility. More than half are over 25 years old and some, like in busy Hillcrest, are too small to fit modern fire apparatus, according to the report.
The Hillcrest station, which is slated for replacement, also has problems with its water and sewer lines, and like many stations, requires a heating and air-conditioning overhaul, the IBA said.
On top of the maintenance needs for the department, a consultant determined several years ago that 19 new fire stations need to be built just to keep up with the city’s growth and bring response times within national standards.
The fire department needs, however, are just a small part of an overall backlog of capital projects and major maintenance needs that the IBA estimates could reach $2 billion, leaving numerous competing priorities for limited funding.
Current bond funding and a proposed bond issuance that’s been held up by litigation will only go so far in addressing the needs, the IBA report said. The bond tied up in court includes the funds that would be used for acquiring land for and designing a new fire station in the Mid-City area along Home Avenue, which the consultant said is the SDFRD’s highest priority.
Additionally, the IBA’s office has been warning for months now that continued bonding to fund infrastructure would be unsustainable.
Today’s report went on to say that Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s plan to dedicate half of this year’s tax revenue growth to infrastructure “will likely provide relatively small funding” compared to the needs.
City officials will need to come up with alternative revenue sources to “comprehensively address” infrastructure needs, the IBA concluded.
The report is scheduled to be delivered to the City Council’s Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee Wednesday afternoon.
