A large white sign stands sentry on an overgrown lot at the western edge of Goleta, heralding the “future home” of Santa Barbara County’s Fire Station 10.

Day after day for years, residents have driven by, and many have wondered about and commented on the project’s lack of progress.

Station 10 is intended to improve fire protection and related emergency services to the city’s western reaches — mainly the Ellwood and El Encanto Heights neighborhoods — as well as much of the Gaviota Coast beyond the city.

Statistics show that, at times, the county Fire Department, which provides fire and related emergency services for the city, falls short in meeting the required response times to 9-1-1 calls in that area.

Expected development and growth — including possibly a huge residential project at the Glen Annie Golf Club — are likely to exacerbate the situation.

Project Was Formalized in 2016

The fire station project was formalized in 2016, when Goleta and the Santa Barbara County Fire Protection District approved a memorandum of understanding, known as an “MOU” in bureaucratese.

Under the terms of the 10-year pact, the city would foot most of the bill for what then was estimated as a $7.5 million project, with the Fire Department operating and staffing the fire station.

The funds would come from development fees collected by the city and county specifically for the purpose of building a new station, and possibly from grants.

Eight years later, the white sign is the sole indication that a fire station is destined for the site on the north side of Hollister Avenue, across from the Sandpiper Golf Course and just east of Cathedral Oaks Road.

And the MOU is just two years away from expiring.

But that all may be starting to change.

Ad Hoc Committee Has Taken Up the Project

City and Fire Department officials — through what’s known as the Fire Station Development Ad Hoc Committee — have been meeting to discuss the future of the project.

And across the board, they have told Noozhawk they believe the facility is a priority that should be brought to fruition.

“This project has been a dream for a long time,” said Councilwoman Luz Reyes-Martín, a committee member. “And it’s time to really get it built so that it can start benefiting residents of Goleta.”

She added: “One of the reasons I expressed interest in being on the committee is that it’s a big priority for the city and big priority for me.”

Most of the key players from the group that negotiated the original MOU, including the county fire chief and the city manager, have moved on.

Mark Hartwig took the reins of the county Fire Department in February 2019, while Robert Nisbet became Goleta’s city manager in September 2022.

Study Shows Need for New Fire Station

Prior to Hartwig’s tenure, a study of the Fire Department’s facility needs had been done by a consultant — Citygate Associates.

“The agreement was three to four years old when I got here,” Hartwig said. “There were questions about the project’s continued value.”

He commissioned an update to the study that recommended additional firefighting resources and facilities in three areas — Orcutt, San Marcos Pass and Fire Station 10.

According to the consultant, initial units responding to a 9-1-1 emergency in urban areas should arrive on scene within 7½ minutes, with additional resources arriving within 11½ minutes.

“The (fire) district’s fire crew turnout and fire unit travel times are significantly longer than the best practice recommendations,” according to the consultant’s report.

“The resultant total response time in urban areas from 9-1-1 answer to first-unit arrival, at 9:52 minutes, is significantly longer than a best-practice-based, Citygate-recommended goal of 7:30 minutes.”

The closest fire stations to the proposed site of the new facility are Station 11, just off Storke Road near Girsh Park, and Station 14 on Los Carneros Road, near Stow House.

Both fall short of the 7½-minute target: Station 11 is at 9:01 and Station 14 is at 9:17.

The new station is expected to help improve those results, both for those stations and others in the Goleta Valley, by spreading out the call load.

Original Proposal Is Close to Shovel-Ready

Nisbet noted that design work has been mostly completed on the original concept for the station, and permits have been obtained from the California Coastal Commission.

“We have a project that’s essentially shovel ready, and collaboration between our two agencies,” Nisbet said. “We have to decide if the current MOU is the way to get it done.”

Those plans call for a single-story structure with three bays for fire apparatus; a large training/community meeting room; an emergency generator to power the station during outages; and an above-ground fueling facility. 

As the years have flown by, the original $7.5 million price tag is no longer valid.

Hartwig estimates the station today would cost in the neighborhood of $15 million to $20 million to build.

Smaller Project Could Save Millions

He has concluded that the original design is more than what’s necessary, and scaling down the project could lower the cost by millions of dollars.

“We have weighed in with city staff on the size of the station,” Hartwig said. “Taking into account some of our recent projects… we have just over-designed it. It would be much more affordable and much more likely to happen if it is downsized.”

A related question is how the new station would be staffed. 

Staffing for an additional engine on a 24/7 basis would run $1.8 million to $2.1 million annually, according to Hartwig’s estimate.

The original plan called for shifting an engine or truck plus crew from Station 11, but Hartwig said he doesn’t favor that approach.

Rather, he said, the department “would have to reprioritize in the fire district, perhaps reducing some four-person station crews to three firefighters.”

Officials Say It’s Time to Make a Decision

Whatever the station’s ultimate size, City Councilman Stuart Kasdin told Noozhawk he believes it’s well past time to make a decision on Station 10.

“The one thing I want is to see is something happen,” Kasdin said. “I drive past it nearly every day. If we’re going to build it, let’s build it. If not, let’s move on.”

Kasdin added that the details regarding the size and features of a new station really should be up to fire officials. 

“Typically the Fire Department makes the judgments about the nature of the fire services they’re going to provide,” he said.

“Everyone seems on board that we can actually get something done,” he added. “We can actually accomplish something. That would be very gratifying, and we’re doing it the right way.”

Ad Hoc Panel to Meet Again This Fall

The ad hoc committee is expected to meet again this fall, and comments from those involved suggest that a new MOU is likely to be developed, with the goal of moving Station 10 forward.

If the project is downsized and redesigned, Hartwig estimated it would be about three years before it could be built and put into service. That assumes the needed funding is available in that timeframe.

Meanwhile, the sign still stands, and passing motorists continue to wonder when and if a new station will rise on the site.