To: Board of Directors
From: Lewis Broschard, Chief, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District
Report Title: Purchase of Property at 4491 Bixler Road, Byron for Use as a Wildland Fire Center
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Acting as the governing board of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Fire Chief, or designee, to execute acceptance of a grant deed and associated documents, including a purchase and sale agreement, conveying the real property at 4491 Bixler Road, Byron (Property) to the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (Con Fire), for $1.8 million, for use as a Wildland Fire Center, pursuant to Government Code Section 25365, subject to approval by the County Administrator and approval as to form by County Counsel; and
APPROVE Budget Amendment No. BDA-24-00002 appropriating fund balance of $1,800,000 for the purchase of the Property for use as a Wildland Fire Center; and
DIRECT the Real Estate Division of the Public Works Department to cause the grant deed to be delivered to the grantee for recording in the office of the Clerk-Recorder.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The $1.8 million purchase price will be fully funded by CCCFPD General Operating Fund balance. Budget Amendment BDA-24-00002 will appropriate fund balance from the CCCFPD General Operating Fund for transfer to a Probation Department capital projects account. As approved by the Board (Item 23-909) at its November 28, 2023, meeting, the Probation Department will use this funding, in conjunction with other funds, for the future demolition of the Old Juvenile Hall building.
BACKGROUND:
The Property consists of 50.0 acres of land improved with a 29,757-square-foot youth
rehabilitation facility. The Property, Assessor’s Parcel Number is 002‐020‐001, is located at 4491 Bixler Road, Byron, Contra Costa County, California. The Property is the site of the former Orrin Allen Youth Rehabilitation Facility which was opened in 1960.
The original construction of the facility was completed in 1960. In 1998, a second dormitory building was added; and, in 2006, modular classrooms were added. The kitchen was renovated a few years ago. Solar panels were added in 2010. The originally constructed buildings are over 60 years old, while the newer structures are 16 and 24 years old. Construction is only of average quality, and the condition of the buildings shows signs of wear and tear. Only the newest dormitory building is fire-protected with sprinklers.
The Probation Department ceased operations at the facility in early 2023, and the facility has not been used since. An appraisal of the Property was conducted in December 2022. The appraisal concluded the highest value of the land would be a sale to a buyer that could use the facilities already existing on the Property. The appraisal suggested the land was valued at $1 million and the facilities at $1.12 million based on their then-current condition.
Con Fire will utilize the Property as a wildland fire training and staging area due to its location and the available space on the property for storing wildland firefighting equipment and apparatus. Con Fire can make use of the majority of the existing facilities. The square footage of the facilities to be retained by Con Fire equals about two-thirds of the existing square footage. Based on the appraised values, staff recommended applying a fair market value of $1 million to the land and $800,000 to the existing facilities for a total fair market value of $1.8 million.
At its November 28, 2023, meeting, the Board of Supervisors approved the necessary County actions for the conveyance of the property to the CCCFPD. That same action authorized the sale proceeds to be utilized by the Probation Department for its future funding need to demolish the old Juvenile Hall building. Approval of the requested CCCFPD actions will allow the CCCFPD to execute a purchase agreement and related documents, as well as appropriating the necessary funding for the purchase.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this action is not approved, the Fire District will be unable to acquire the site and will need to find an alternative site for its Wildland Fire Center.