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OAKLEY, Calif. (KTVU) - An East Bay community is one step closer to getting a much needed fire station. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday in the East Contra Costa city of Oakley.
Budget woes and new housing have left the cupboard bare in terms of fire protection in eastern Contra Costa County, so watching work be done at Station 55 in Oakley is a welcome sight
A number of dignitaries were on hand along with firefighters to turn that first page of dirt. The new firehouse will cost $5.7 million and is funded from local impact fees and should be completed by the year 2020. To give you an idea just how tight the fire budget is, there is currently no funding to pay the for new firefighters that will call Station 55 their new home
Eastern Contra Costa County fire is implementing impact fees so some residents will have to pay for services rendered. The other issue is the city of Oakley is exploding with new affordable homes going up and with a growing population they need new manpower.
Firehouse 55 will be the 4th firehouse in eastern Contra Costa County, and official say once completed response times could be cut in half in Oakley.