Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
North County Fire Protection District has approved the completion process for NCFPD's new Station 5 in Bonsall.
On July 28 the NCFPD board voted 5-0 to accept the station in the 5900 block of Olive Hill Road as complete, to authorize NCFPD fire chief Bill Metcalf to sign and file a notice of completion with the County of San Diego, and to release the final payment to Keeton Construction.
"It's ours and we're happy. Keeton Construction built us a beautiful fire station," Metcalf said.
The new Station 5 on Olive Hill Road replaces the station on Old River Road the fire department had used for more than 30 years. The new Station 5 is staffed by three personnel - a captain, and engineer, and a firefighter/paramedic - on any given day. Two vehicles, a Type 1 structure engine and a brush rig, are housed at the station, and the firemen will use the vehicle which is more appropriate for the specific call. The fire station has a total of three bays, which allows the fire district to move a reserve vehicle to the fire station.
Keeton Construction of Temecula was the successful bidder for the fire station construction contract and was awarded the contract in September 2013. Ground was broken for the new fire station on October 28, 2013, and the contract had a prescribed construction period of 330 days. The original contract was for $4,662,000, and approved change orders increased the contract amount to $4,684,127.
On January 30 the County of San Diego issued NCFPD a certificate of occupancy which allowed for habitation and visitors at the new Station 5. The fire district then confirmed that the construction met the fire district's specifications before accepting the building from the contractor. An open house for the new fire station was held March 19.
NCFPD and Keeton Construction representatives worked through a final list of items to complete the work on the station. The final outstanding items were addressed by June.
"We accepted it as completed from the contractor," Metcalf said.
Because the North County Fire Protection District's new Station 5 was under construction when NCFPD issued a contract in 2014 to provide solar electricity generation at NCFPD facilities the new fire station was not covered in the scope of work.
The new Station 5 on Olive Hill Road is now complete, and on April 28 the NCFPD board approved the financing prerequisite to an actual installation contract. The 4-0 vote, with Kathleen Thuner absent, approved the application for a California Energy Commission loan and the expenditure of $1,250 to reserve a California Solar Initiative rebate. The board action also authorized staff to develop a request for proposals for the actual project upon approval of the financing.
"We're moving forward with that project," said NCFPD fire chief Bill Metcalf. "Previously we had embarked on a program to put solar in all our other facilities."
In April 2013, NCFPD staff conducted a comprehensive analysis of energy consumption and costs at different facilities which included the feasibility of solar electricity systems at various locations. The study identified four existing fire stations, the future Station 5, and the fleet maintenance facility as viable sites for installation of photovoltaic arrays. In December 2013, the NCFPD board authorized district staff to apply for a California Energy Commission loan with a one percent interest rate and to develop a request for proposals to provide the solar facilities.
In July 2014, the NCFPD board awarded Sullivan Solar Power a $534,507 contract to provide solar-generated electricity at Station 1 (Ivy Street), Station 2 (Winterwarm), Station 3 (Olive Hill), Station 6 (Rainbow), and the fleet maintenance facility. California Solar Initiative rebates of $60,619 reduced NCFPD's cost of the original contract to $473,888 while the California Energy Commission loan allows NCFPD to finance the project over a 12 1/2-year period and service the debt for less than the district's energy expenditures prior to the installation of the photovoltaic equipment.
In October 2014, the NCFPD board voted to expand the length of the solar generation facility planned as a carport behind the fleet maintenance facility, allowing for covered parking for additional NCFPD fleet vehicles as well as additional solar generation.
"So far the solar at the other stations has been outperforming our expectations," Metcalf said.
The district analysis at the time the initial contract was awarded in July 2014 predicted a payback period of between 10 and 11 years with a 30-year savings of $1,240,299.83. "We anticipated that it was going to save us $35,000 per year on our electricity costs," Metcalf said.
The actual savings projects to about $50,000 per year. "It is a significant savings," Metcalf said.
The project costs for the future Station 5 were not determined in December 2013, although that cost was to include a carport for the fire station. On Jan. 30, 2015, the County of San Diego issued NCFPD a certificate of occupancy which allowed for habitation and visitors at the new Station 5.
"We waited until it was completed," Metcalf said of the solar installation at the new Station 5.
Although Station 5 was built to energy-efficiency standards, the district projects energy expenditures of $1,200 to $1,600 each month due to the size of the building and the systems installed. The solar project will utilize both roof-mounted and carport-based solar arrays.
The California Energy Commission offers one percent financing to cities, counties, school districts, and special districts for energy generation projects. CEC engineers perform an independent analysis of proposed solar projects which will validate production, efficiency, and economic assumptions. The repayment term is amortized based on annual energy cost savings, and the district is billed semi-annually.
Since the fire district is a tax-exempt agency, it is not eligible for federal tax credits or state rebates given for residential solar installations. The California Solar Initiative, which is administered by the California Center for Sustainable Energy, has a rebate program for governmental and other tax-exempt installations.
That rebate model has two structure methods: a performance-based incentive which is based on efficiency and paid quarterly over the first five years of system operation and an expected performance-based buydown based on system efficiency and paid upon commissioning. The performance-based incentive is required on installations exceeding 10 kilowatt hours. A rebate reservation fee reserves the rebate amount for one year and is refunded upon system commissioning.
NCFPD has received a preliminary indication from the California Center for Sustainable Energy that the district would receive at least $20,000 of California Solar Initiative rebates. The estimated cost for the photovoltaic installation at Station 5 is $227,475, so the rebate would reduce the NCFPD cost to $207,275 and the payback period is estimated to be between 11 and 12 years with a 20-year cumulative savings of $410,205.
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