BACKGROUND - New Snoqualmie Pass Fire Station 291

At Snoqualmie Pass, we are in significant need of a new fire station despite very limited local resources. Our current fire station was originally built in the 1930’s as a maintenance shed for the Department of Transportation. The station has numerous safety, utility, structural and operational deficiencies that cannot be resolved in the existing structure. One problem of note is that, due to the slope of the roof, it sheds snow in front of the apparatus bays. This is especially significant when we are dispatched for an emergency. The fire station siren sounds when we get a call, which can trigger the release of the snow off of the roof, leaving up to a four foot ridge of snow and ice in front of our rigs preventing a response until the path is cleared.

Since the mid 1990’s, Snoqualmie Pass Fire and Rescue has been actively seeking locations to build a new fire station – to the extent that a volunteer fire department can spend time on such an enormous task.

On a few occasions, there have been instances of property owners coming forward leading us to believe that we might be able to get land donated to build a fire station.

In early 2000, a group of citizens including David and Susan Black, realtor Pat Oh and Nancy Keith from the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, began to explore the idea of re-locating the Fire Station, combined with a community room/visitor center, on land owned by Mark Zenger. At a meeting that included representatives of WSDOT, the US Forest Service and various SNOPAC members and interest groups, Mark Zenger offered to donate a forested parcel he owned just east of the old fire station if it would include a visitor center and community rooms that would serve those existing needs at the Summit. Plans for the fire station at this location were drafted, but this option was eventually dropped because funding that could accommodate all those uses did not seem available.

A few years later, Mark Zenger, in a SNOPAC meeting, made a suggestion that he might be able to donate some land to the Fire Department for the purpose of building a fire station. Fire Commissioner Bill Powers and then Fire Commissioner Rob Gibson met with Mark Zenger. During this meeting it became very clear very quickly that the land was not going to be donated, rather, the interest was more in selling the land. Today that piece of property is being offered for sale at the price of $2.25 million.

Another location considered was over on Yellowstone Trail Road. This location involved a larger parcel of land that was going on the market. This location was not further pursued due to lack of money and it does not meet fire department operational needs.

Other options that have been considered have also included two vacant parcels currently owned by Mark Zenger along Hwy 906. One parcel is directly across from Traveler’s Rest and the other is to the left of the current Forest Service Visitor’s Center. The first property is currently being offered for sale at a price of $2.0 million and the second property is currently being offered for sale at a price of $1.225 million. Additionally, these parcels are not desirable due to potential safety issues associated with the enormous congestion that exists along that stretch of Hwy 906 during the winter ski season. The fire department has determined that these parcels are not good options for a fire station and would not meet our operational needs.

An additional site has been proposed by Charlie Raines that encompasses DOT right of way located between the Red Mountain Café and Exit 53. DOT currently uses the area for operations, including snow storage and is reluctant to sell or trade the property for any other use at this time. Additionally, the Fire Department has determined that this parcel of land is not large enough to adequately build a headquarters fire station.

The new fire station project was put on hold for awhile until last year when the Forest Service contacted us to see if we would be interested in purchasing the property that we currently lease. We were very surprised because we did not think that the Forest Service land under our current fire station was available. Yes, we were interested, but no, we did not have the money to purchase the land.

Through a series of discussions with the Forest Service, we also learned that there is a different parcel of land that they would be willing to consider. This other parcel would allow us to build a new station with less impact to current operations and the new location, due to its location and accessibility, would definitely serve us better. In fact, the Fire Department has determined that this other parcel of land is the best piece of property in Snoqualmie Pass to build a new headquarters fire station. This location has the best response time when compared to any other locations that have been considered. Additionally, it is in a less congested area along Hwy 906 when compared to the other Hwy 906 locations.

HR1285 was introduced in 2007 that would convey approximately 3 acres of Forest Service Land to the Fire Department.

On July 23, 2007 HR 1285 was passed by the House of Representatives, with a modified version of the bill reducing the size of the footprint from 3.0 acres to 1.5 acres. On January 15, 2009, the Snoqualmie Pass Land Conveyance Act passed the United State Senate, and was subsequently signed into law by President Barack Obama.

While the smaller footprint will still allow the Fire Department to build an operationally efficient fire station, it does, however, inhibit our ability to encorproate additional uses.

Snoqualmie Pass Fire and Rescue is committed to the environment and throughout the design process, LEEDS processes will be utilized. Additionally, it will be our continued goal to work with such groups as the Mountaineers, Mountains to Sound, Pacific Crest Trails, the Sierra Club, and any other organization that may have an interest in our project.

Important Documents

U.S. Senator Cantwell's Statement introducing the Land Conveyance into the US Senate.

Fire Commissioner Caviezel's Testimony before the US. House of Representative's Sub-commitee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands.

Fire Commissioner Caviezel's Testimony before the US Senate Sub-committee on Public Lands and Forests