Point Reyes Light - August 12, 1999
Mesa Park and Bolinas Fire close in on land swap
Directors of Mesa Park Board last week offered a short list of conditions before it will swap land with the Bolinas Fire Department so the department can build a much-needed new station.
The idea of the swap - no one's sure who thought of it - arose several months ago when the fire department was kicking around ideas to upgrade its 30-year-old station on Mesa Road.
The current building was not originally designed to be seismic safe, has no dorm or sleeping facilities, is infested with termites, and just isn't large enough to accommodate under one roof all the department's administration and operations.
For example, the department's new firetruck fits into the building only when its water tanks are full. Even then, it only clears the doorway by one inch, explained Bolinas Fire Chief Kevin Hicks.
For the department, "A smarter, more economical, long range goal needed to be set," Hicks said.
Under the proposed swap the fire department would build on the lot next door, which is now a gravel park for the playing fields of Mesa Park. Both lots are part of 13 acres bought by Bolinas Public Utility District federal block-grant funds.
The Mesa Park board is asking for three concessions in allowing the fire department to exchange land, build, and move in. They are:
Shared utilities - Both parties are waiting to hear if BPUD will let them hook up directly to the sewer ponds and use reclaimed water for park irrigation. If the park and fire department had to build their own mound septic systems, the costs (passed onto to taxpayers) would be between $40,000 to $50,000 for each system.
Parking lot - The Bolinas Fire Department would be required to turn its current property into a graveled lot comparable with the one it would be building on. The existing lot has about 70 parking spaces. It used to be a lake in the rainy season, but was filled in and leveled at a cost of roughly $20,000.
Shared revenue - The fire department would be required to share some of the $74,000 annual income it gets from its telecommunications tower. Park directors are asking that the higher of $15,000 or 20 percent of revenue go to the park's operating fund annually.
However, fire director Mike Aiken, who was at Thursday's meeting, said, "To my way of thinking that [telecommunications revenue] is tax money." When residents let the tower be installed, they did so to create income for the fire department and soften their own tax bite.
A draft of the proposed land swap shows Mesa Park complete with service roads, surfaced paths for disabled access, a children's playground, berms and windblocks, a stage, a basketball court, the telecommunications area, and the relocated fire department. Also proposed is a new home for the Bolinas Family Practice medical clinic.
Ultimately, Mesa Park is supposed to be a stand-alone entity. The five directors of Mesa Park, who serve four year terms, are now appointed - two by BPUD directors, two by Bolinas-Stinson School District trustees, and one approved by both.
But, said BPUD's Buchanan, "When Mesa Park is able to stand on its own two feet, it will spin off and become its own public agency."
Fire department directors will discuss the offer set forth by Mesa Park at the department's next meeting, 7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 16.
BPUD directors will discuss the request to connect to the sewer ponds and to irrigate with reclaimed water on Wednesday, Aug. 18.