LAMORINDA WEEKLY | MOFD starts process to relocate Fire Station 41


Land next to Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School on Camino Pablo Photo Andy Scheck

The Moraga-Orinda Fire District board authorized Fire Chief Dave Winnacker to enter into preliminary discussions with property owners as the first step in possible relocation of Moraga Fire Station 41 and the district administrative headquarters, also located in Moraga. Two of the properties under consideration are the land adjacent to the Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School in Moraga and a tract along Moraga Way, adjacent to Fire Station 44 in Orinda.

"It's an attractive possibility, but a few things need to be done before we move forward," said board President Brad Barber.

Those things included developing a global strategy for locations of all district stations, essentially starting from scratch and then showing how the move of Station 41 fits in with that strategy. Also critical was a concrete financial plan. "How will we generate the funds to do this?" said director John Jex.

Other questions posed at the Nov. 7 district meeting included a decision on the training ground. Should it be moved too, or should MOFD consider training out of the district, such as at the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District training center in Concord? Is the plot at JM big enough? Could the district consider a parcel swap with the Moraga School District, or straight acquisition?

Germane to former director Pete Wilson was how the move would affect service delivery - both positively and negatively. And the most repeated comment from directors and outside speakers had to do with public input, to the sense that there simply can never be too much. Positive public feedback received by ConFire at its workshops went a long way to eliminating negative public reaction over the reconstruction of Fire Station 16 in Lafayette.

Moraga School District Superintendent Bruce Burns said that there is enough interest on the school district's part that it will soon discuss the idea of a transaction with MOFD at a future board meeting, possibly as soon as December.