Fundraising for La Jolla fire station renovation looks to gain steam at upcoming open house

A fundraising effort to revamp a fire station on La Jolla’s Mount Soledad is ramping up as organizers prepare for an open house this month aiming to draw closer to their $175,000 target.

The city of San Diego has approved a Phase 1 renovation plan shepherded by the La Jolla Sunrise Rotary Club to replace walls and doors in the sleeping areas, along with other improvements. Should the Rotarians come up with the money and materials, the city will provide the labor.

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department says Fire Station 16 at 2110 Via Casa Alta was built in 1982 and hasn’t had any major renovations since, instead receiving small upgrades.

The station originally was designed with an open concept lacking doors that extend to the ceiling. Renovating the station will enable firefighters to have better sleep, privacy and living standards, organizers say.

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Foundation and the Rotary Club of La Jolla have teamed their efforts with the Sunrise Rotary Club.

Wendy Moore, the Fire-Rescue Foundation’s executive director, said “We are supporting the fundraising efforts on our end and we’re able to facilitate those donations. So we’ll work directly with the department … to purchase the supplies and the equipment and whatever it is that’s needed.”

Cindy Goodman, a member of the Rotary Club of La Jolla, has aided in the fundraising.

Thus far, the Fire-Rescue Foundation has secured $14,350 in donations along with an $11,000 grant from Rotary District 5340.

Goodman said a pair of donors further contributed $3,000 and $1,000 to the effort over the past two weeks.

That brings the overall fundraising to about one-sixth of the amount needed.

By the time the organizers hold the open house at Station 16 on Wednesday, Oct. 22, they hope to have word from the San Diego City Council on whether they will secure additional discretionary funds.

The event will start with a station tour at 4:30 p.m., followed by a discussion and Q&A session. Another tour will begin at 5:45 p.m.

Registration is required because space and parking are limited, Moore said. For donations or more information, visit sdfirerescue.org.

Sunrise Rotarian Parker Davenport, who works with Arista Architects in La Jolla, said the project is facing larger-than-expected costs and that initial estimates of $120,000 didn’t fully encompass costs of temporary firefighter housing, as well as rising prices for cabinetry and other materials.

“Unfortunately, we had to adjust that,” Moore said. “And we also kind of had to build in a contingency because we don’t want to get started and then not have enough to finish the project. Anything that comes in above what it actually costs us to do the project, we’ll actually retain for that station.”

“We’ve really just started the project, so I’m pleased with the direction we’re headed,” Moore added. “We really have not started significantly pushing it.”

Organizers are promoting the open house with the slogans “Worn-out dorms = burned-out crews” and “It’s time for a change.”

The event invites visitors to go inside the fire station, see the conditions and hear more about the remodeling campaign.

“The idea of that is to get the direct community members involved,” Davenport said. “For people who live on Mount Soledad, hopefully they’ll see what needs to be done and provide those donations.”

“I hope that they will understand … how they can have such an impact on the day-to-day work the firefighters do,” Moore said. “But I also hope that they just have the chance to meet their neighborhood firefighters and learn who they are as people. We look at them as heroes, and they are, but at the end of the day they’re also humans.”