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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Beach bacteria thresholds may tighten ... Our View: Who politicized the UCC shootings? Not Obama ... View from 100,000 feet ... Beach bacteria thresholds may tighten ... Our View: Who politicized the UCC shootings? Not Obama ... View from 100,000 feet ... OUR VIEW Our View: Comfort or coddling in new fire station design? MailTribune.com Writer Posted Oct. 8, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Oct. 8, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> The Medford City Council is attacking the cost overruns on the new police and fire station in the right way — mostly. Some of the fancier touches to the fire stations still come off as excessive, despite officials' insistence to the contrary. Inflated prices for subcontractors as a result of resurgent construction activity are being blamed for blowing the budgets of all three fire stations and the police headquarters. In all, the city is looking at $6 million in cost overruns above the $32 million in bonds the city issued to pay for the new buildings. The council decided last week to shelve plans for replacing Fire Station 3, at the roundabout at Siskiyou Boulevard and Highland Drive. The city will focus instead on Fire Station 2, the city's oldest and smallest, and Station 4, where the department conducts much of its training. Construction of the police headquarters and attached parking garage has already begun. The council was wise to cut its losses rather than try to scrape up more money by fee increases on top of those already being used to pay off the bonds. And some cost-cutting has been done, in part by dropping a decorative facade to improve the appearance of the police station parking garage. Walls of glass in the fire stations have been replaced with more conventional vinyl windows, and brick exteriors dropped in favor of cement-board siding, all of which saves money. And yet the council still couldn't part with separate air-conditioning units for each firefighter's bedroom, along with quartz countertops in the kitchen. It seems firefighters don't agree about temperature — although the fire chief said most of the biggest complainers have retired. We understand the need to build fire stations to last. And we understand the need for firefighters to be well rested and ready to leap into action when a fire breaks out. But separate air conditioners because some firefighters complain about the temperature? One setting ought to be sufficient, and if one crew member finds it too warm, he can open his personal window. If not enough cuts can be found to build all three fire stations, cut as much as possible and put it aside for temporary improvements to Station 3, or for a replacement down the road. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Oct. 8, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501