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Local officials, first responders, developers and community members gathered in Dublin Friday to celebrate the official kick off for construction on a long-anticipated new training facility for the Alameda County Fire Department, with emotions running high for many who had championed the project.
The April 4 event marked a turning point for the previously vacant site at 5053 Gleason Drive in Dublin next to an existing ACFD fire station, with the forthcoming new “state of the art” facility that is set to include 8,000 square feet of classroom space and a 576-square-foot utility yard in addition to a five-story training tower.
“I’m just so damn proud today,” said former Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty, who championed the project during his time in office prior to the end of his 24-year tenure in 2021.
However, Friday’s event was not the first groundbreaking ceremony for the facility, which was initially set to be completed in 2022, with a 2021 celebration of the project proving to have been a false start.
“There’s been a lot of groundbreakings here,” Haggerty said.
Haggerty’s successor, District 1 Supervisor David Haubert, also acknowledged the delay and noted that Haggerty was the one deserving credit that day — with the project having already been in the works prior to the start of his tenure — and pointed to a 2020 Pleasanton Weekly article on the matter prior to its ultimate delay amid the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I get to be the lucky one to break ground on a project that he started years ago, even before this,” Haubert said.
The delay meant that ACFD has continued to conduct training at an outdated facility in San Leandro, now more than 50 years old. The new facility, according to remarks from officials in local government and the county fire department, lives up to what they say their firefighters deserve.
“You are the best of the best,” Haggerty told ACFD firefighters in attendance Friday. “And the things that they’ve accomplished — they’ve never once embarrassed me as a supervisor. They’ve always been there. They run into buildings some people are running out of, which I’m extremely proud of. And they certainly deserve to have the best.”
While construction is set to get underway this month, the design work is also still in progress, with input from firefighters and ACFD officials alike aimed at customizing the project to their precise needs.
According to representatives from General Services Administration, which is partnering with ACFD on the project, the “design build” process allows construction to commence without design being fully completed, allowing for flexibility as technology and the needs of firefighters evolve but also requiring precision from the get-go based on the “right assumptions”.
The approach means that rather than working on separate sets of the process, designers and builders are set to work together on the final design as construction is going on.
In addition to aiming for a first-class facility suitable for the modern demands of the department amid increasingly dangerous fire seasons locally and statewide, GSA director Kimberly Gasaway noted that sustainability was another major priority in the design, construction and operation of the new space.
“The project aligns with the County’s Vision 2036 for safe and livable communities with a commitment to a healthy environment aimed at achieving leadership in energy and environmental design,” Gasaway said.
Some of these features are set to include efficient indoor water fixtures and landscaping and solar panels, as well as electric vehicle charging stations. Gasaway also pointed to the project’s conformance with the county’s labor standards.
“The project is subject to the county’s labor agreement with the Building Trades Council — I love union tradespeople — so it requires a labor commitment of 40 local residents and 40 disadvantaged resident apprentices,” Gasaway said.
Another feature of the project includes a partnership with the county’s Public Art Commission, with art installations set to adorn the site upon its completion.
“It will be located in the landscape area near the sidewalk along Gleason Drive, so it will be visible to the entire community as they travel by this beautiful facility,” Gasaway said. “The goal is to create a positive, uplifting experience for the community who also honor the work of the county fire department.”
Although construction is kicking off this month, the project is not set to be completed until 2026 — four years behind its original schedule. However, speakers at last Friday’s event were optimistic that it would not face any further delays.
