Costa Mesa taps Irvine firm to manage $15M rebuild of aging Fire Station No. 2

Costa Mesa officials Tuesday approved a $1.78-million contract with an Irvine-based firm to oversee the reconstruction of a new Fire Station No. 2, including a temporary relocation of operations and living quarters during the two-year buildout.

The City Council considered a recommendation from Public Works staff to enter a professional services agreement with the Irvine office of Accenture Infrastructure and Capital Projects LLC for construction management services before, during and after the building process, anticipated to begin in the fall of this year and wrap in late 2027.

Senior engineer Arash Rahimian explained the redesign — estimated to cost $15.1 million, the lion’s share of which would be financed through bond proceeds — will increase the footprint of the Baker Street station by about 40%.

Costa Mesa Fire Station No. 2, at 800 Baker St., will undergo a $15.1 million reconstruction that is slated to begin this fall.

(City of Costa Mesa)

The city plan to renovate the 6,600-square-foot building, built in 1966, from crew work stations to a captain’s office, enlargement of the station’s truck bay, a new conference room, dedicated utility rooms and upgrades to storage, and an employee exercise room.

Accenture is to be paid $225,000 up front and will receive the remainder of its pay when bonds are issued. The range of bond funding for the work has been estimated to run from $10 million to $12 million, the details of which will come before the City Council by October, finance director Carol Molina told the council members.

In the meantime, the initial funding will allow Accenture to perform a constructability review, pre-qualify general contractors and review bid proposals for the work.

The firm will also assist with the establishment of on-site temporary living and workspace structures to accommodate fire personnel throughout the duration of construction, a move deemed preferable to relocating operations to another property, Rahimian said.

A vehicle bay at Costa Mesa’s Fire Station No. 2 will be expanded in a reconstruction of the Baker Street facility, scheduled to begin this fall.

(City of Costa Mesa)

“We analyzed neighboring areas, but there wasn’t a location that the fire chief felt comfortable maintaining the response times, so we will hold [operations] on the existing site,” he added, explaining modular trailers and restrooms will be rented for a two-year period.

Fire Chief Dan Stefano assured city officials the plan for temporary quarters worked when the department remodeled Fire Station No. 1 ahead of its 2018 reopening.

“We’re very comfortable with what we have planned,” Stefano said. “We’re just looking forward to start turning some dirt and getting the construction moving.”

Accenture’s bid for the construction management contract was one of 11 proposals collected by city staff, and while it was not the lowest bid, it was the most comprehensive, Rahimian said.

Mayor John Stephens said he would have liked to see an analysis of all the firms that submitted responses, so council members could have considered the full range of options and made a more informed decision, but still supported staff’s recommendation of Accenture.

“This is a very important project,” Stephens said ahead of the 7-0 approval. “I just need to have, in the future, more data presented to the council and the public. But it’s a very important project, and it’s a very important department, and I’m glad that this is moving forward.”