Lake Oswego to examine potential replacement of fire station

The city of Lake Oswego is laying the groundwork for potentially replacing the oldest fire station in town on South Shore Boulevard.

The city has four fire stations and the one on South Shore was built in 1971. Assistant Fire Chief Kristine Artman and management and program analyst Quin Brunner noted in a City Council meeting Tuesday, Sept. 3 that there are a variety of deficiencies with the current station: It does not have adequate storage, its electrical system and back-up power are in poor condition, the roof needs to be replaced, there is a rodent problem and the building features inadequate separation between living and office space, among other challenges.

In turn, the council gave the go-ahead Tuesday for the local government to form a task force dedicated to evaluating the current station and fire services more broadly in order to generate a recommendation to council on how to address deficiencies. Recruitment for the task force is open now and community members can apply on the city website through Monday, Sept. 16.

Artman said the city has made short-term fixes to the aging South Shore station,like replacing the generator and some seismic improvements.

“The investment has prolonged the life of the facility, but we are reaching the point where continued investments may not be prudent,” Artman said.

Brunner added that the task force will look at call and response times, examining whether the Lake Oswego locations are properly located, reviewing facility conditions and considering future department needs, investment costs and funding mechanisms.

“We do not yet know the path forward for this facility, but we see this process as the best way to flesh out the recommendation for you to consider next spring,” Artman said.

Mayor Joe Buck emphasized the need to have a plan that will be appealing to taxpayers and keeps budgets tight, while Councilor John Wendland expressed that all four stations should be close to equal in terms of quality.

Councilor Ali Afghan added that he didn’t feel the current facility met the needs for city workers who risk their lives for the community.