Lompoc won’t be getting its new fire station anytime soon, following a vote by the Lompoc City Council on the long-debated topic last week.
Fire Chief Kurt Latipow said the proposed new station was necessary to accommodate additional staff for the fire department, which would allow the department to respond to calls more quickly and effectively. The proposed 23,373-square-foot station would be built on Lompoc Airport land to replace its current station, which Latipow says the department has outgrown.
“Without building a facility that accommodates growth, we will continue to be stifled, as we are now,” Latipow said. “If we don’t do something, we will not be able to serve the projected call volume moving into the future and not be as creative as we have been. And we are one of the most creative departments on the West Coast as far as staffing and flexibility.”
The proposed fire station was projected to cost $29.8 million over a 30-year loan period, which would deplete the city’s general fund reserves and force it to dip into its $2 million Economic Uncertainty Fund. Councilmember Jim Mosby fiercely opposed this plan, claiming the fund should be reserved for emergencies only.
“Multiple councils have guarded that money for emergencies,” Mosby said. “Building a fire station is not an emergency.”
Mosby moved that the city start actively saving for a new fire station and put off plans to build until it has the funds necessary to do so.
“We need to step up and start setting money aside for future replacements of future facilities, such as the fire station and the police station and City Hall,” he said. “We need to plan ahead better for the future. In this case, we don’t have it.”
After two hours of deliberation, Mayor Bob Lingl called for a vote—but not before warning the council.
A “yes” vote would postpone building the station for another five to 10 years, Lingl said. He added that the vote comes before further discussion on other options, such as downsizing the currently proposed station.
“Basically, this is killing the fire station for an undetermined amount of time,” Lingl said. “We all agreed: We need this fire station. We need a fire station. If we approve this motion, we will be killing the fire station, and we’re not going to bring it back in two weeks.”
Mosby’s motion passed 3-2, with Mosby and councilmembers Dirk Starbuck and Victor Vega voting “yes,” in favor of postponing the fire station.
This article appears in Mar 10-17, 2016.