Okanogan County Fire District 6’s new fire hall in Winthrop will include six vehicle bays, offices and space for firefighter training in a 12,000-square-foot facility on Horizon Flats Road.
Expected to break ground this year
By Don Nelson
Construction bids for a new Okanogan County District 6 fire hall in Winthrop will be opened next week.
The district’s board of commissioners will hold a special meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday (April 13) at the Twisp fire station to open the bids. The meeting, at 434 W. Second St., is open to the public.
Then, the project architect — Spokane-based Watson & Herres — will review the submissions, District 6 Chief Cody Acord said in an email.
Acord said when the architect’s review is complete, the commissioners will likely have another special meeting to discuss recommendations and possibly award a contract.
The bid specifications call for “substantial completion” of the building in 11 months from the start of construction. The district had been hoping to break ground by spring of this year. If a bid is awarded, the project could still get underway this year.
A bid award would culminate more than a decade of efforts by District 6 to replace the cramped and outdated fire hall on Englar Street in Winthrop.
The district plans to build an 11,954-square-foot station on a 5-acre parcel in the Horizon Flats neighborhood, a parcel District 6 acquired years ago in anticipation of building a new facility. At one time the commissioners considered other potential sites in Winthrop but concluded they could not find one as suitable.
The new fire will include six vehicle bays, a meeting room, a multipurpose room, a dormitory, a dining room, a kitchen, offices and space for firefighter training.
The total project cost, which includes site preparation and utilities, is estimated at slightly over $4 million, with about $2.7 million for the building construction.
Getting approval
District 6 was finally able to proceed with the new building project after voters in the fire district approved an increase in the district’s tax levy in April 2020 to support the new fire station.
The district also received a $1.8 million grant last year from the Bruno and Evelyne Betti Foundation for vocational training for firefighters — contingent upon passage of the levy request. About $500,000 can be used for the station construction. The district will also allocate money from its operating budget for the new building.
Fire district officials have been involved in proposals and plans for a new station for more than 13 years. The new station will replace a 4,400-square-foot station building that the district rents from the town of Winthrop. Fire officials have said for years that the district has outgrown that facility and the cramped quarters jeopardize firefighter safety.
It’s been a long haul for the district to reach the bid-opening. In 2008, voters turned down a $5 million bond levy proposed by the district to build a station on property across from the Winthrop post office. A proposal developed in 2012 to build a 12,500-square-foot station at a cost of about $2.4 million drew public criticism as too expensive, and some people questioned whether the Horizon Flats property, located on a hill with a curving road, was the best location. A levy increase to fund the new station was defeated by voters in 2014.
In the April 2020 special election, the district asked voters to approve a property tax increase of 17.5 cents over the existing levy of 65.5 cents, resulting in a permanent levy of 83 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. That measured passed with nearly 70% support. The tax increase will be assessed starting this year.
District 6 provides fire services from Gold Creek to Lost River, covering 300 square miles in the Methow Valley, and provides services to the towns of Carlton, Twisp (through a contract), Winthrop and Mazama.
