Ramshackle ambulance station in SLO County gets infusion of money. Here’s what it will do

Cambria’s paramedic housing and indoor ambulance garage replacement project got a $1 million grant toward its $6.5 million construction budget Wednesday.

The Cambria Community Healthcare District ’s plan to replace its current, ramshackle, 67-year-old ambulance station at 2535 Main St. is heading to the polls in November, seeking voter approval for Measure C-24, a $5.9 million bond.

That’s in addition to the $1 million federal grant that Rep. Jimmy Panetta brought to town on Wednesday, delivering the news at a news conference attended by district officials and Supervisor Bruce Gibson .

The district needs the $5.9 million bond in addition to the $1 million federal grant for the $6.5 million project, district officials say, because the additional funds will go toward costs to administer the grant.

Panetta and Gibson had advocated for the healthcare district’s request for community project funding in the 2024 federal funding package.

It’s one of four projects the congressman endorsed in San Luis Obispo County that received some funding from the package, according to Christian Unkenholz, his communications director. Announcements about those “are on the horizon,” he added.

The healthcare district had requested a $5.9 million allocation. The old building is “in need of major infrastructure improvements,” the district wrote on its website . “The building is beyond its useful lifespan, and retrofitting is not economically feasible.”

“Some have asked why not just fix it,” district board President Cecilia Montalvo said. “That’s more expensive than replacing it,” given the extensive asbestos remediation and replacement of electrical and other infrastructure that would be required.

The district’s previous $8.5. million bond proposition to replace the structure fell short of winning by about 5 percentage points in the 2022 general election.

“This kind of project is so important for a rural community like this that relies so heavily on its ambulance service,” Panetta told The Tribune right before his news conference at the current station Wednesday.

“The definition of rural is not necessarily about a look. It’s about a location,” he reiterated in his address in front of the building, adding that in critical matters of health, “location matters. Minutes matter.”

“The federal government is proud to play its part,” Panetta said. “You need a partnership to get things done, one based on mutual trust and friendship.”

Gibson also played up the importance of collaboration.

“It’s the ‘GTD party, The Get Things Done Party,’ getting stuff done,” Gibson said. “And partnership is the key to making that happen.”

Supporting the bond is the community’s contribution to the partnership, the two legislators said.

Healthcare district excited about building plans

Healthcare district officials and staff were buzzing with excitement Tuesday as they anticipated the announcement.

“The board listened to the community after the 2022 election and downsized the initial project design,” Linda Hendy, district administrator, said Tuesday by phone. “They tried to be creative, taking away some things, like a fuel station.”

The original and reduced projects are described on the district’s website.

“Any further delay in doing the project will only increase the costs of the new building,” Laurie Mileur, the district board member who has led the board’s committee on the funding efforts, said Tuesday.

The board won’t pursue additional grants until after the election, she said, but it is researching them. For instance, the community might qualify for a solar-panel grant next year.

If that comes through, “we’d either borrow less on the bond or pay it off faster,” Mileur said.

District officials and many in the community say replacing the old structure is essential to keep paramedics safe and protect the four ambulances, which currently are parked outside in the often caustic atmosphere of the oceanfront community.

The district’s official coverage area is from the North Coast to Villa Creek near Cayucos to the Monterey County line and the Santa Lucia ridgeline.

However, paramedics are frequently called way past the county line on Highway 1, especially when there are road blockages that prevent Monterey County first responders from getting through.

Requests for mutual aid further east and south also can also add geography to their paramedics’ coverage.

“It’s one of the last healthcare districts that operates an ambulance service,” said Tim Nurge, the district’s operations manager.