Dear Community Members,
It has been a while since we have provided any updates for the Sudden Valley Fire Station renovation/restoration project. This is simply because there have been no updates to provide. The architect and engineering firms have been working in the background to complete plans, specifications, code analysis, etc. to prepare for building permit submittal. The process has been lengthy, but modifications to existing structures can be tricky and we wanted to make sure the design and planning were done correctly to avoid delays in having to redesign.
I am happy to report that as of Monday, February 10, 2025, the Whatcom County Planning & Development Services Department has accepted our permit application submittal and has assigned a permit review number! We are still working through several details with the architect and engineers, but the plans are now at least in for permit review by the County. We will stress to the Planning Department the importance of expediting this permit review to the extent possible, but this process could take up to 120 days. In the meantime, we have been concurrently working with our attorneys and architect to review public works bid proposal documents to prepare for the invitation-to-bid process once we have sufficient confidence from the County that the plans do not require significant modification.
Again, I understand this is a frustrating process for the community, but we continue to move forward as quickly as possible with the resources available to us and within our contractual agreements. I will continue to provide updates when significant milestones are achieved in the process. We are committed to restoring service and response to the Sudden Valley Fire Station as soon as safely possible.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me, our staff, or a fire commissioner with questions, comments, or concerns on this project.
Email can be sent to info@swrfa.org and it will be distributed to the proper staff person, or phone our administrative offices at (360) 676-8080.
Sincerely,
Mitch Nolze, Fire Chief
Email: mnolze@swrfa.org
Office: (360) 676-8080 x101