California Construction News staff writer
Construction is scheduled to start today on a new fire station designed to improve emergency response in the South Coast, San Mateo County, by relocating firefighters from a flood-prone station to safer, higher ground.
The Board of Supervisors awarded the contract to Truebeck Construction earlier this year.
Fire Station 59 replaces the aging Pescadero Creek Road station, built in 1957 and prone to repeated flooding that creates challenges for first responders when the community needs them most.
The new 12,000-square-foot station will provide modern living quarters and emergency response facilities for firefighters serving the South Coast. The new station will be built to handle regional emergencies such as wildfires, winter storms, medical emergencies, coastal rescues and incidents along Highway 1 and surrounding roads.
It will also include a solar-powered microgrid and backup power system designed to maintain operations during extended outages, which have lasted for as long as two weeks following major storms.
Initial work will involve installing perimeter fencing, site preparation and grading. Construction is expected to continue through 2027, with substantial completion by late that summer. A formal groundbreaking will be announced in the coming weeks.
The $34 million project is funded through Measure K, the voter-approved countywide half-cent sales tax that provides local funds for local needs. Construction is expected to cost approximately $25.2 million, with remaining funds supporting design, project management, technology, furnishings and other project-related costs.
