An interim fire station is set to be built on Alessandro Drive for about $13 million after the Ventura City Council approved a construction contract and related agreements Aug. 18.
The project is estimated for completion in winter 2027, said Greg Knudson, a city principal civil engineer.
Council member Bill McReynolds challenged council members to figure out how to build a permanent station to serve the community.
“We are spending $13 million on an interim facility, and it is a difficult pill to swallow,” he said.
The city-owned site sits on 2.92 acres near the Pierpont neighborhood, Ventura Harbor, midtown and downtown areas, Knudson said. The station will occupy 1.5 acres, while about 1 acre will be used for fire training in the southeastern portion
of the site.
Construction accounts for the largest share of the project’s cost at nearly $6.5 million, according to a city staff report.
The City Council awarded a construction contract to AMG & Associates, Inc. with a maximum contingency of nearly $988,000, bringing the total contract amount to about $7.5 million. Other project expenses include modular buildings, equipment and construction management.
The fire station will help distribute emergency call volume more evenly throughout the city and provide service to the Pierpont neighborhood as well as the Ventura Harbor, marina and keys areas, according to the staff report. The station also is expected to lower response times and provide enclosed storage area for reserve fire apparatus that is currently stored outdoors.
“Our target response times are in the five-minute range, but down there we’re looking at sometimes seven and eight minutes,” said Ventura Fire Department Chief Kris McDonald.
The site formerly housed a water treatment facility that was abandoned in the 1980s, according to the report. Since then the fire department has used the property as a training facility.
In December 2023, the City Council approved adding the station to its capital improvement program, Knudson said. Three modular buildings were purchased for the station in January and May 2025, he said.
Funding for the project will come from the city’s general fund and Measure O revenue, according to the report.
McDonald was asked why the city did not pursue a permanent fire station after a permanent facility was estimated at $20 million in December 2024.
“It’s probably more than that now,” he said of the price. “The interim fire station was what we came up with to get that part of our city served until such time that funding is available that we can build a permanent station.”
The intention is to keep the apparatus bay, the metal building that houses the fire apparatus, indefinitely while removing the modular buildings, McDonald said.
“The long-term plan would be to build a permanent fire station at that location,” he said.
The modular buildings have an estimated lifespan of about 20 to 25 years, Knudson said.
Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura council backs $13M interim fire station near Pierpont
