The absence of Daniel Martinez and the abstaining of Rosalinda Vierra set the council up for a failed 2-1 vote of the Ceres City Council on a matter designed to advance the regional fire training facility on Service Road.
The council was expected on Nov. 12 to approve a resolution outlining how a number of neighboring agencies are to contribute in the costs of building a $1.19 million fire training tactical tower at the Ceres fire station yard on Service. That resolution that failed spells out how the cities of Turlock and Modesto and the Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District are to chip in $67,900 apiece, while the Yosemite Community College District (YCCD) will pay $250,000; and County Regional Fire Authority to pay $325,000.
Ceres has already allocated $400,000 to the project and the council is being asked to approve another $131,358.20 to cover contingency and construction support services.
City Engineer Michael Beltran indicated that the additional request is due to already spending $165,000 on the foundation for the four-story tower.
Vierra declared a conflict of interest and abstained from voting since she is employed by Modesto Junior College (which is part of the YCCD) and Martinez was absent, leaving only three members to vote.
Mayor Javier Lopez and Vice Mayor Bret Silveira voted yes while James Casey voted no, preventing the quorum of three votes needed for passage. It’s believed the matter will be brought back when Martinez is present in order to get passage.
Casey explained to the Courier why he voted “no,” saying Ceres would probably be on the hook for maintenance of the facility.
“We don’t have any firemen, it’s all Modesto,” said Casey. “This is to train people. They haven’t been paying anything to use the facility for the last four years.”
In June the city awarded the contract to build the tower to American Fire Training Systems, Inc. The contract, however, cannot be executed until full appropriations have been made, said Beltran.
The tactical tower will be four levels of large shipping containers and include features such as grapple walls, staircases, vent and enter windows and utility standpipe connections.
In 2019 the city of Ceres formed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with partners to create the new training facility on Service Road, along with training officers, to train firefighters from four different agencies: Ceres, Modesto, Salida and Stanislaus Consolidated. The Ceres City Council later contracted with Modesto for fire service. Later Turlock was added to a new five-year MOU.
The Service Road station wasn’t used after 2018 because of budget cuts so it was ideal for a training facility. Metal shipping containers donated by Salida and Modesto departments were remodeled and installed so that firefighters may receive training for fires in structures, including ventilation, forcible entry and search and rescue tactics.
Chief Kevin Wise said a modular training tower is durable, can be reconfigured to training needs, requires minimal maintenance and can be fitted with interchangeable doors, windows and walls. It will have interior and exterior stairways.
“On any given day we can have a fire academy with up to 30 personnel and we can have the regular fire department personnel running through the training center,” Wise told the council in October 2023. “I believe at one time last year we trained 150 firefighters one day at this facility.”
Wise said that Ceres and other cities have numerous multiple-family and commercial dwellings and are “target hazards for us with high life rescue.”
The facility will allow firefighters to practice above ground hose stretching, and practicing taking hoses up staircases into units and rescue of victims trapped inside. Hook companies can also practice aerial attacks.
“On top of the fourth story container will be a repelling station for technical rescue operations,” said Wise.
In other action, the council approved the construction contract for the Morgan Road Storm Drain Improvements Project to Mid Cal Pipeline and Utilities, Inc. The project consists of construction of new storm drain pipe, expansion of an existing basin, and new curb and gutter on Morgan Road south of Service Road. Mid Cal Pipeline and Utilities, Inc. was the lowest responsible bidder at $934,402. A 10 percent contingency of $93,440 brings the Mid Cal Pipeline and Utilities, Inc. contract allocation to $1,027,842.
