Federal funds may finance Scotts Valley fire station

A plan to build a new fire station on La Madrona Drive in Scotts Valley, dormant since a 2006 bond election failed, may be resurrected with money from the Obama administration’s federal stimulus package.
Directors of the Scotts Valley Fire Protection District will be asked next week to authorize an application for a $5 million grant from a new $210 million fire station construction program under the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The long-planned station, which would replace the district’s main station on Erba Lane, is estimated to cost about $5.7 million, which is more than the $5 million maximum available for a single project under the federal program.
Fire Chief Mike McMurry said he will ask the board to decide whether to apply and “hope we can do it within the $5 million” or to pass on the program, “which would be unfortunate.”
Federal authorities expect to receive more than 5,000 applications. The program is intended to create jobs and improve fire protection and firefighter safety in cities across the nation.
The district already owns the land across La Madrona Drive from the Scotts Valley Hilton, but has been unable in three tries to pass a bond issue to build the station. The Erba Lane station is seismically unstable and obsolete, according to officials.
At a glance
WHAT: Scotts Valley Fire Protection District board meeting
WHEN: 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 10
WHERE: Scotts Valley City Hall, 1 Civic Center Drive
INFO: 438-0211