Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue wants to replace two of its five stations — the crumbling one in Lexington and the earthquake-vulnerable station at Baker’s Corner in West Longview.
On July 27, the district board of commissioners will decide whether to ask voters in November to approve an $11 million, 20-year bond to pay for the new stations as well as a new fire engine.
The effort is the district’s second attempt in six years to replace the Lexington station.
Cowlitz 2 Chief Dave LaFave said Friday that the district would be getting a bargain, reporting that new fire stations typically cost $12 million to $20 million.
“They will be built to last. They will not win any design awards, but they will be functional,” LaFave said.
The district now is debt free, and property owners in the district now are paying only an operations levy. If approved, the bond could cost the owner of a $170,000 home (the average in the district) $57.80 annually for 20 years.
The Lexington station, built in 1978, is staffed by a dozen volunteers who handle about 700 calls a year. It is deteriorated and has been settling, causing a major crack in one of the walls. It has “nearly been condemned,” LaFave said. It has no room for an ambulance and has no crew quarters, he noted.