Following a unanimous decision from the Woodland City Council, Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue (CCFR) now has room for its planned fire station expansion.
During a Tuesday, Sept. 3 meeting, the council adjusted the boundary lines for three city-owned parcels, making room for the expansion of CCFR’s Fire Station 29 in Woodland. The site will grow from 9,640 square feet to 61,266 square feet. This will allow CCFR to complete the building, which has been operating since 2018.
Plans to complete the building were delayed after Woodland’s 2020 annexation into the fire district. According to Washington law, the property had to be transferred to and maintained by the fire district, meaning the City of Woodland could not fund the building’s completion. CCFR Chief John Nohr explained that the transition, along with budgetary constraints due to COVID-19, contributed to the delays.
“It was something that should have happened a few years ago … Our plan all along was to finish out that station,” Nohr said. “It’s taken a while, and now with the passage of the fire levy lid lift, we will move forward with the completion.”
The expansion will allow for the addition of two emergency responders. Nohr explained that the expanded building will be essential as Woodland’s fire and rescue needs grow. He noted Station 29 currently relies on backup units from other stations to handle various emergency calls and experiences the second-highest number of emergency calls in the fire district.
“As is common in most fire and EMS response agencies, as you get busier and population density increases, call volume tends to rise. We will have the ability to put another unit in there,” Nohr explained.
Station 29 currently uses a temporary manufactured home to house its three to four emergency responders. The expansion will also include permanent dormitories, an additional apparatus bay, crew quarters, a kitchen and a training room. Nohr explained the expansion will both accommodate more units in Woodland and make the crew’s day-to-day operations easier.
“The current temporary building they’re in is a manufactured home… “It’s served us well for six years, but it’s seen a lot of wear and tear,” Nohr said.
The levy lid lift, which fire district voters approved in August, will fund the expansion, scheduled to begin in late 2025 or early 2026. The levy will increase property tax collection from $1.26 per $1,000 to $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Chief Nohr expressed his gratitude for the City Council and community’s support, which has enabled the fire district to move forward with the expansion.
“I just appreciate that support … It’s really voter support that allows us to provide the level of service that we’re able to do,” Nohr said.
The next step for the fire district is to secure budget estimates and find a bidder. In an April interview, Nohr estimated the cost of the Woodland expansion to be between $3 million and $5 million. CCFR will receive an estimated $18 million in funds in 2025 through the levy.
In addition to providing space for the fire station expansion, the new division of city-owned parcels allocates more space for Woodland’s police department, as well, although an expansion for the department is not planned at this time.
