"Station 51..."

Santa Barbara County Fire Department Station 51 is getting some new digs. New to the tune of 9500 sq. ft., adjacent to a new sheriff's sub-station at 5500 sq. ft:

A replacement for the county's aging fire and sheriff's stations is under way, as officials begin plans for the construction of a new building three times the size of the Lompoc Valley's existing facility.

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors recently purchased 15 acres at the northeast corner of Burton Mesa Boulevard and Harris Grade Road in Vandenberg Village from Caltrans for $120,000. The below-market price reflects the county's guarantee that the land will be used for a public-service building.

The county plans to build a shared sheriff's substation and fire station approximately 15,000 square feet on a couple acres, said John Green, capitol projects coordinator.
An adjacent five acres is home to a joint 5,000-square-foot building considered inadequate to serve the growing Lompoc Valley communities.

“That building was built in the 1960s, and is literally falling apart,” said Tom Franklin, deputy fire chief.

Plans for the new building are still being finalized, but initial estimates call for a 9,500-square-foot fire station and a 5,500-square-foot sheriff substation at the new location.

Boring local news you say? Well, not to me.

That's my fire protection we're talking about. Build on!