The Grants Pass City Council is showing moderate interest in building a new fire station to replace the Hillcrest facility and the panel is showing strong interest in a $6.5 million rebuild of Caveman Pool.
During its workshop on Monday, City Manager Aaron Cubic and Interim Fire Chief Randy DeLonge presented options to the Council for the Hillcrest Fire Station which is more than 50 years old. Both said there are livability issues for firefighters when they are on duty, but it is their best site for firefighter training.
Delonge said the current fire station was built in 1971 with some modest seismic upgrades and other improvements since that time. He said the Hillcrest Fire Station responded to a total of 1,738 calls in 2023 as compared to the Parkway Fire Station which responded to a total of 3,889 calls last year. Redwood Fire Station crews responded to about 19% of the calls.
The City Council plans to explore renovation options for Hillcrest or an alternative location for a new north-city fire station. In 2019, a study estimated it would take around $2 million to renovate the station. The Council requested city staff update those numbers to 2024 as well as estimated costs for a new fire station.
Parks Superintendent Josh Hopkins presented two options for Caveman Pool. The first is a $6.5 million proposal to rebuild the municipal facility including one large pool with a two-meter diving platform, 3/4-meter diving board and water slide, plus a sprayground, new pumphouse, renovated main building and no new parking.
The Council showed strong interest in that option as opposed to another option that would cost just over $1 million. It would include a liner placed in the existing pool to help prevent current water leakage. A final decision has not yet been made, but Councilors agreed the $6.5 million option could last as long as 50 years and there is already more than $6.3 million available for the Caveman Pool project.
According to the funding rules of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a contract for the pool project must be in place by the end of this year.
