Fire district agrees to designer, manager contracts for new Carlsborg station

Published 2:30 am Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Clallam County Fire District 3 has taken the next steps toward a new Carlsborg Fire Station 33.

Fire commissioners unanimously agreed on May 5 to contract with Aetta Architects of Tacoma to handle the structure’s project management, and architectural and engineering services.

The contracts, once reviewed by the district’s legal counsel, are worth $807,200 for architectural and engineering services, and $215,000 for project management, for a total of about 17% of a projected $6 million budget.

According to Aetta’s contract, the numbers are estimates based on hours to be expended, and once they’re at 90% of the total fee, they’ll discuss with district officials the remaining scope of work and determine through mutual agreement whether an additional fee is required.

The new station, planned for construction at the Training and Operations Center, 255 Carlsborg Road, will be 8,000-9,000 square feet with three apparatus bays for up to six apparatuses, sleeping quarters, a day room, kitchen, showers, restrooms, cardio/fitness area, a shop, decontamination room, personal protection equipment (PPE) storage, and additional storage.

It will be built under a design-bid-build process with one phase and one bid package, and it’s anticipated to be a Pre-Engineered Metal Building (PEMB) structure with metal siding, according to district documents.

In total, the project will take around 20 months to complete.

Fire district documents state it will take approximately nine months to prepare construction documents and submit them for permits, depending on Clallam County permitting time, with construction taking 10 months followed by a one-month closeout.

“The goal is to break ground in 2027 and have (staff) in there in 2028,” said fire commissioner Mike Mingee.

Fire Chief Justin Grider said in an interview the district’s legal team should have the contracts with Aetta reviewed in the coming weeks, so they can begin work.

The contracts state the fire district will pay for permitting, and that they already have a conditional use permit.

Funds for the project will come from the sales of multiple properties in recent years, including Lost Mountain Fire Station property, district capital funds, grants, donations, and municipal bonds.

Misty Shaw, the district’s finance director, wrote via email that the district has nearly $1.6 million in funds assigned to capital set aside for a new station with about $450,000 from property sales.

In March, commissioners agreed to pursue a non-voted bond with D.A. Davidson & Company to serve as a bond underwriter or placement agent to assist with financing the remaining portion of a new station with either a limited tax general obligation bond, or private bank placement.

In February, Shaw said that a $5 million loan at 4% interest would cost $7.3 million over 20 years while paying back about $366,000 a year, while 6% interest would cost $8.6 million over 20 years with an annual payment of about $433,000.

Commissioners have said they believe a station could be built for under $6 million requiring financing of just under $5 million.

Grider said once the contracts with Aetta Architects are approved by the district’s legal team, they’ll bring a representative from financial services firm D.A. Davidson to a commissioners’ meeting to discuss options.

Relocating Carlsborg Fire Station 33 from 70 Carlsborg Road was identified by the fire commissioners last year as the most immediate capital improvement in the district. They’ve also sought options to address its inadequacies since 2023 and sent out a request for qualifications (RFQ) for project management services for station 33 in December 2025.

According to the fire district, Carlsborg Station 33 was built as an unstaffed station in 1964 and remodeled in 1972, 1982, and 2023.

Its size, age, deferred maintenance, lack of adequate dormitory and support facilities, and undersized apparatus bays have been a growing concern for district officials for years, staff report.

It was also evacuated last year for two days due to a pest infestation, and a 2024 structural engineer reported that the building “lacked the required seismic resilience for critical infrastructure housing emergency resources and first responders,” according to district documents.

For more information about Clallam County Fire District 3, visit ccfd3.org.