SEQUIM — Clallam County Fire District 3 leaders have agreed to commission a market analysis for the value of Lost Mountain Station 36.
Fire commissioners agreed on April 2 to contract with Mark McHugh Real Estate to gauge how much the property could sell for and contribute to the costs of building a new Carlsborg Station 33.
Commissioners previously sold the district’s 1.96-acre East Anderson Road property for $160,000, and another sale remained pending (valued at $175,000) as of April 10 for the district’s 5.2 acres of land in the 100 block of Sieberts Creek Road.
Lost Mountain Station 36 opened in June 1980 and is about 6 miles south of U.S. Highway 101 at 40 Texas Valley Road.
District leaders held community meetings in October and March to recruit volunteers to potentially keep the station open, but it garnered only one volunteer, staff said.
The fire station hasn’t had an active volunteer since 2021 and it’s been without a vehicle for about a decade.
Commissioner Mike Mingee, who attended both public meetings, said selling the station is a tough decision but the right one.
“It’s just deferred maintenance we’re paying for,” he said.
If the fire district does sell the station, Mingee said he’s in favor of using some proceeds to purchase a container and some equipment for Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members on Lost Mountain.
“We don’t want to completely leave the area, as it’s an isolated area that could be cut off,” he said.
Commissioner Bill Miano said the board would consider seeking an easement or another type of partnership with a property owner to store the container.
“Since there’s a one way in and out road, it’s a perfect candidate up there,” he said.
Carlsborg Station 33 staffs three firefighters/medics who could respond to calls in the Lost Mountain area, and they have about an eight-minute response time to the area, Fire Chief Justin Grider said last month.
“I think the service delivery is still there,” Grider said in a later interview. “Our folks do a fantastic job.”
Mingee said staff will continue to assess the district’s assets to see what can go toward building a new Carlsborg Station at the current Training and Operation Center property.
He and Miano said they’re considering a design-build process to cut down on costs, but they’ll need to start with what the district can afford before they talk about design.
“It’s hard to say a cost estimate, but fire station builds are about $1,000 a square foot — that’s the going rate right now,” Mingee said.
“Speaking for the build, I believe the design will be austere, but it’ll serve the purpose,” he added.
“We are determined to build something in Carlsborg to replace the existing station. We’ve simply outgrown out of it.”
For more about Clallam County Fire District 3, visit ccfd3.org.
________
Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach him at mnash@sequimgazette.com.
