New Buena Park Fire Station 61 Ground Breaking
Station Design Features Pre-Engineered Steel Structural Frame Saving $1 million in Construction Costs
Buena Park, Calif. – The City of Buena Park and Orange County Fire Authority officials are breaking ground Tuesday, May 2, 10:00 a.m. on the new Fire Station 61. The event will kick off construction for the 18,000 square foot station on La Palma Avenue, replacing the 50 year-old Station 61 on Western Avenue.
The new single-story facility, set on a 1.25 acre site, will house firefighters as well as OCFA administrative offices, serving as a Battalion and Division headquarters. The station includes three fire apparatus bays, training rooms, office space, sleeping quarters, kitchen and dining facilities and a workout room. The total cost of the station including design, land acquisition, new construction, and demolishment of the previous site is approximately $13 million. Construction costs of the station are $9.4 million and the facility is expected to be completed next spring.
Buena Park Mayor Elizabeth Swift who also serves as the chair of OCFA’s Board of Directors states “The new, larger facility will accommodate future service needs in the City’s growing entertainment corridor.”
Architectural firm LPA designed the facility incorporating a pre-engineered steel building framework that will extend the station’s life and result in construction savings of approximately $1 million. Irvine-based Griffin Structures serves as construction manager for the project being built by general contractor AMG & Associates, headquartered in Santa Clarita.
Plans were underway to replace the original 50-year old station for more than a year. The station suffered irreparable damage in an early-morning fire in January, and the displaced firefighters will be temporarily operating out of former Walter Knott Elementary School. The school closed in 2010, and while a portion of the facility operates as a local and county education center, ample space on the west end of campus was available. The previous station will be demolished, cleared and turned over to Knott’s Berry Farm following completion of the fire investigation.
The OCFA is a joint powers authority that serves more than 1.8 million residents in 23 cities and the unincorporated areas of the county. OCFA operates two additional stations in the City of Buena Park, serving the City’s population of nearly 83,000 as well as neighboring communities.
About Griffin Structures, Inc.
Griffin Structures provides program and construction management services, working on behalf of government agencies and the communities they serve. Founded in 1981, Griffin plans, develops and manages projects from “concept to keys,” streamlining delivery of high quality, cost-effective, time-efficient projects in communities throughout California. Griffin Structures is an industry leader in public sector project delivery. Headquartered in Irvine, Griffin Structures also has an office in Santa Clara. For more information, visit www.griffinstructures.com.
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