Bell Gardens : Fire Station Move Approved

The Bell Gardens City Council has approved an agreement to relocate county Fire Station 39 to the city’s proposed 20-acre civic center project on Garfield Avenue.

The city agreed to lease the one-half acre parcel to the Los Angeles County Consolidated Fire Protection District for 99 years and to pay up to $900,000 of the construction cost for the new station, City Manager Claude Booker said.

Under the agreement, which must be approved by the county Board of Supervisors, the city would purchase the former fire station property on Fry Street for $165,000.

City officials say they plan to relocate the fire station, Post Office, Bell Gardens Chamber of Commerce and Lions Club next to the existing City Hall and Police Department facilities.

The chamber and the Lions Club have agreed to move, Booker said. But negotiations with the U.S. Postal Service will be delayed until budgetary problems within the Postal Service are resolved, he said. Postal Service officials have offered $1.1 million to purchase property in the proposed civic center for a 20,000-square-foot post office.

Booker said the city will be advertising for bids for an architect for the project within the next 60 days.