If all continues as planned, the Lathrop Manteca Fire District could be located on the opposite side of the San Joaquin River by the end of the year.
With the majority of the city’s proposed residential growth planned for the area west of Interstate-5 and the largest concentration happening on the opposite side of the river in River Islands, the district took the offer of the master-planned community to move its entire administrative operation to where the majority of Lathrop’s growth will be taking place.
According to Fire Chief Gene Neely, construction on Station 35 — the state-of-the-art firehouse and administrative complex that broke ground in December of 2016 — is moving along as expected, with the building itself currently framed and waiting for the internal and external touches to be added by the construction crew performing the work.
The station, which will open with a three-man engine company and eventually house an additional four-man truck company to become the city’s largest staffed firehouse, is on track for a December ribbon cutting ceremony and is expected to be put into service later in the month.
Once the move is complete, it will be the first in a two-part relocation of the city’s existing public safety service headquarters to the River Islands development – where over the next 20 years more than 11,000 new homes will be constructed, more than doubling the city’s current population.
Last week, the Lathrop City Council agreed to a contract with River Islands to construct a new $8.8 million police station not far from where Station 35 will be located — near the Bradshaw’s Crossing bridge — in exchange for reimbursement through building permits as the development continues to grow.
The move into the new firehouse, which will come before the new police station is built, will allow for a renovation of the existing Station 31 living quarters for firefighters, who will temporarily move into the portable that is currently being used as the administrative offices for the district. Once the renovation is complete, that building will then be overhauled to use for training purposes, configuring the building into a large classroom that will allow for open meeting space that isn’t currently available.
The new station in River Islands will feature a large conference room as well as separate living quarters and four fully-functioning bathrooms that will allow for privacy that older firehouses don’t traditionally enjoy.
To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.
