For City Council Meeting March 10, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
APPROVAL: Tanya Williams, City Manager
FROM: Yazdan Emrani, P.E., Director of Public Works
Title
Request City Council to Authorize the Release of Bids for the Fire Station 204 Dormitory Improvements Project, City Project No. 26023.
Body
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the release of bids for the Fire Station 204 Dormitories Improvement project, City Project No. 26023.
BACKGROUND:
The fire service, in general, faces a significant gender gap, with only 7% of the firefighters in the country being women. To recruit, develop, and retain the best candidates, fire departments must develop strategies that appeal to recruits. Fire station dormitory configurations that provide privacy were identified as a strategy to attract and retain new recruits.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
The Rialto Fire Department operates two stations with open dormitory layouts, separated only by partition walls and curtains, constructed in the 1990s: Fire Station 203 and Fire Station 204. The dormitory renovation project aims to reconstruct these spaces to provide individual sleeping rooms, enhancing privacy for firefighters. Work on the FS 203 dormitory is almost complete, while improvements at FS 204 are being expedited to support recruitment and retention of qualified personnel.
Staff coordinated with BOA Architecture for preparation of the construction plans, specifications and estimates per their on-call professional architectural services agreement. The project design is completed, and the project is substantially ready to bid for construction bids.
The tentative timeline for the award is as follows:
Anticipate Release of Bids to be Issued March 2026
Anticipate Award by City Council May 2026
Anticipate Start of Construction July 2026
Anticipate Construction Completion December 2026
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
The requested action is not a “Project” as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Pursuant to Section 15378(a), a “Project” means the whole of an action, which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment. According to Section 15378(b), a Project does not include: (5) Organizational or administrative activities of governments that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY:
This action is consistent with Guiding Principle 3 in the General Plan:
Our City government will lead by example, and will operate in an open, transparent, and responsive manner that meets the needs of the citizens and is a good place to do business.
Approval of this action also complies with the following City of Rialto General Plan Goals and Policies:
Goal 5-3.1: Provide for fire personnel, equipment, and fire stations to have adequate and appropriate resources to meet the needs and serve all areas of Rialto.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed the staff report.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Operating Budget Impact:
The proposed action will not affect the Operating Budget.
Capital Improvement Budget Impact:
This project is included in the City’s Draft Fiscal Year 2026-2030 Capital Improvement Program and was originally scheduled for construction in Fiscal Year 2029. However, following the completion of Fire Station 203 Dormitory Improvements Project, the schedule for the proposed project has been advanced to the current fiscal year. Advancing this project will allow the City to address operational needs sooner, improve facility functionality, and reduce the risk of future cost escalation associated with delaying construction. The estimated project cost is $600,000, which is currently available in the Capital Projects Fund, Account No. 33005174-53001.
Staff will return to the City Council with a recommendation for the construction contract award and, if necessary, a budget resolution requesting any additional appropriation required to complete the project.
Licensing
A business license application and payment of a business license tax are not required for this action.