There’s been a fire station at the corner of 112th Ave. and 299th St. in Battle Ground, WA, since the mid-1970s. But that area has changed through the years and call volumes have risen. Addressing the need for better and more immediate response to emergencies, the Clark County Fire Protection District No. 11 set into motion a plan in 2006 to upgrade the existing station. It included the renovation of the existing 1,500 sq. ft. station and construction of a 3,500 sq. ft. addition. Commissioned to oversee the project, renamed Charter Oak Station 11-2, was Johansson Architecture P.C. of Battle Ground.
The decision to use the existing site was determined the best use of public funds but it was certainly not without challenges. Just over one acre in size, it included setbacks from two major streets, a creek and a wetlands. There were also habitat and septic system buffers to consider, road modifications to contend with and many governmental applications to be filed. It was the result of all things considered that the project team developed a compact, efficient, prioritized design plan.
The fire trucks are housed in the existing building portion of the project, while the addition contains fire fighter support spaces such as the dormitories, toilets, shower rooms, the kitchen, dining room, day room, storage area and back-up power generator room. The interiors are functional and attractive, taking design cues from modern industrial design elements. The exterior, meanwhile, complements the station’s still-rural setting. To that end, the old composition roof of the existing building was removed and then new standing seam metal roofing was installed on both it and the addition. The system used was Design Span from AEP Span of West Sacramento, CA. The panels, having snap-on batten caps, were formed from 24-gauge steel and installed on 17” centers. The panel system was installed by Oak Hill Roofing & Sheet Metal, Battle Ground.
The project was completed in February 2007 at a cost of $950,000. The general contractor was Rehfeldt Construction of Vancouver, WA.