Palm Desert council approves construction manager for two fire station rebuilds

The Palm Desert City Council voted 5-0 at its last regular meeting to award a task order to Accenture LLP for construction management services on the renovation of Fire Station 33 and the demolition and reconstruction of Fire Station 71, and to approve using the former Sheriff’s substation as a temporary fire station during the roughly two-year project.

The task order, worth up to roughly $3.1 million, expands Accenture’s existing role on the projects to include construction management, contract administration, inspections, scheduling and budget monitoring, and project closeout, according to a staff report presented by Senior Project Manager Lucero Leyva.

Fire Station 33, at 44-400 Town Center Way, will undergo tenant improvements, while Fire Station 71, at 73-995 Country Club Drive, will be demolished and rebuilt. Both projects are expected to proceed on generally concurrent schedules, with construction beginning in the second quarter of 2027 and completion targeted for the second quarter of 2029, according to the staff report.

Because fire personnel cannot remain in either station during construction, the city evaluated establishing two separate temporary stations near the existing facilities before identifying the former Sheriff’s substation, at 73-710 Fred Waring Drive, as an alternative after its lease expires in December.

Using two separate temporary stations was estimated to cost $4 million to $7 million, compared with about $1.5 million to adapt the former substation, for an estimated savings of $2.5 million to $5.5 million, according to the staff report. The approach is also expected to save six months to a year in schedule time by avoiding the need for new modular facilities, utility connections and site preparation.

Cal Fire has confirmed that operating from the substation would keep the city’s overall average emergency response time within its four-minute standard while keeping two fire engines and two paramedic units within city limits, the report said.

Improvements to the substation, including an apparatus shade structure and interior upgrades, will remain permanent assets of the city-owned building after the temporary use ends.

“That directly affect the response times. It can be seconds. It can be minutes,” Leyva said, explaining why the city sought a location near the existing stations rather than temporarily reassigning fire resources elsewhere.

The city will notify surrounding residents before temporary fire operations begin and coordinate with the fire department to reduce siren noise when operationally appropriate, according to the staff report.

Fire Station 33’s renovation was previously estimated at $6 million, compared with $11.7 million for a full rebuild, while Fire Station 71’s reconstruction was estimated at $6.2 million versus nearly $5 million for renovation, according to figures presented to the council in July 2024. The city has authorized a combined $28.7 million to date for the two projects, with about $23.6 million remaining after prior expenditures and the new task order, according to the staff report.