WALDPORT – The Waldport city council last week formally voted to sell – and the Central Oregon Coast Fire & Rescue board formally voted to buy – the city-owned fire station in downtown Waldport.
The agreement allows the fire district to proceed with remodeling it into a safe, modern station and requires the district to help lobby the 2023 Oregon Legislature to give the city $3 million to help replace under-sized water pipes.
Until last July the city had been allowing COCF&R to lease the station for $1 a year.
The COCF&R board met in a special meeting Tuesday to approve the purchase. The Waldport council OK’d it Thursday. Both votes were unanimous.
The sale price is $1.02 million. The city will sign over the property to the fire district with the city carrying a five-year interest-only loan with a balloon payment of $1.02 million in June 2028. Until then, yearly payments are $40,000 – less than the yearly cost of the new lease agreement that took effect in July.
Now that it owns the station, the fire district will apply for a state grant of up to $2.5 million to upgrade the building seismically. But there is a grant deadline of Dec. 16 and the district had to own the property to apply.
If the fire district gets the grant it would ask voters to approve a bond that could range from $2.5 million to $3.5 million to complete the station remodeling project.
The sale agreement says the city and the fire board would join to lobby the 2023 Legislature for a grant to help Waldport meet new state fire standards for water pipes in certain, fire-prone areas. If it gets the grant, the city agrees to transfer the station to COCF&R for $1 and forgive the remaining payments and balance.
