Santa Rosa awards $33 million construction contract for long-awaited Roseland Library and Fire Station

Santa Rosa has chosen a contractor to design and build a permanent home for the Roseland Library and other community amenities, marking a milestone for the long-awaited project.

The civic complex, known as Hearn Community Hub, is planned on 6 acres of land at the intersection of Hearn and Dutton avenues that the city purchased in early 2022.

A new fire station is also planned at the site and a future phase calls for a recreation center to serve Roseland and the rapidly growing community of southwest Santa Rosa.

The City Council on Tuesday awarded a $33 million contract to Swinerton Builders of Sacramento to design and build the first phase of the project.

“We’re so excited that it’s finally becoming a reality,” said Erica Thibault, director of the Sonoma County Library. “It has been a long time coming. “It has been a long process and it is wonderful to see that we are all working together (the library, the fire department and the city of Santa Rosa) to make this happen for the community.”

In May, demolition crews tore down three houses, several smaller outbuildings and fences on the property, clearing the way for redevelopment.

Construction of the library and fire station is expected to begin in fall 2025 and be completed in spring 2027.

Councilman Eddie Alvarez on Tuesday applauded the city’s efforts and said it was a step toward fulfilling long-promised public investments in the predominantly Latino neighborhood that was incorporated into the city limits in 2017.

The total project cost for the first phase, including site acquisition, demolition, design and construction, is $48.2 million, according to city records.

The project is paid for through a combination of local, state and federal dollars, including $10 million each from the city’s share of the American Rescue Plan Act and PG&E wildfire settlement funds, nearly $11 million from the Sonoma County Library and $3 million from the city’s public fund. security tax. California Senate President Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg, got $5 million for fire station and library in state budgetand former Assemblyman Marc Levine got $1 million each during his time in the Legislature.

The project is just west of where work is underway to build a New bridge over Highway 101 at Hearn Avenue to improve congestion and safety as hundreds of housing units are built and more are planned along Santa Rosa Avenue and southwest Santa Rosa.

The expanded bridge will make it easier for emergency vehicles to cross and the project will eventually connect to a planned multi-use path along Hearn Avenue, improving access to the SMART trail and community center.

what is planned

Plans call for a 9,915-square-foot fire station fronting Hearn Avenue that will replace the small, aging Fire Station 8 on Burbank Avenue, just south of Sebastopol Road.

Fire operations, bedrooms, kitchen and other living areas are located on the first floor, adjacent to the apparatus bay.

The fire station could potentially include space for a conference room and multi-purpose spaces to house emergency operations above the fire station, city documents show.

Dan Hennessey, director of Santa Rosa Transportation and Public Works, said the fire station’s design met the department’s response needs and the daily needs of the firefighters stationed there.

Firefighters have discussed the possibility of locating the new station further south, closer to Highway 101 and growing residential neighborhoods since they took over the existing station from the former Roseland Volunteer Company.

Fire Chief Scott Westrope said the department was looking forward to construction after a long planning process.

“The Santa Rosa Fire Department is excited to move into the next phase of the new fire station that will better serve the city and our Roseland area,” he said in a written statement. “Providing improved services to southwest Santa Rosa has been a strategic goal for many years and we look forward to the fire station.”

A 10,315-square-foot library is planned behind the fire station, separated by two parking lots and green space.

Thibault, the library director, said the selection committee and library officials felt Swinerton’s design provided flexibility to fit the library’s needs and “embodied what we think a 21st century library should be.” .

The library will feature meeting rooms and a maker space, among other amenities.

Outside, children will be able to play in what Thibault described as a demonstration garden, and the library will be able to host performances such as storytimes in a small amphitheater. There will also be space to host outdoor markets and allow the library to expand outdoor programming, he said.