By Teresa Herriman, The Courier-Herald

Bonney Lake Mayor Bob Young sent a letter to Fire Chief Dan Packer on Dec. 30, informing him of the city's intent not to renew East Pierce Fire & Rescue's lease of the Public Safety Building when it expires at the end of 2005. Young said he was acting on the advice of City Attorney Jim Dionne.

The ambiguous wording in the lease led to some confusion over the timing of the mayor's letter. According to the lease, if the city chooses not to renew, it must notify East Pierce Fire & Rescue within 24 months. The question became whether that meant 24 months before the end of the lease or at the end of the lease.

"The attorney said if there's any question, send it anyway," Young said. If he hadn't sent the letter and it was later determined that he should have, the city would be forced to renew the lease.

The mayor said his intention in sending the letter is to open the lines of communication. His concern is that when the lease was originally negotiated, it was with the city fire department. Since then, the department has merged with districts 22 and 24 to form the East Pierce Fire District. "They serve the entire district," Young said. "So lets talk about it."

Packer said the district is more than happy to "pay our freight." Under the terms of the lease, the station pays $1 a year to rent the 16,000 square foot space. The district also pays for the cost of maintenance and upgrades based on projections made at the time of the lease, at a rate of $1 per square foot in 2001 and 2002 and $2 a square foot in 2003 and 2004. The city matches that rate. According to Packer, it was determined at the time of the lease that this payment schedule should provide enough funds in the first four years so that neither the city nor the district should have to pay anything in 2005.

The agreement, he said, dictates that the district and the city each provided $32,000 in maintenance and upgrade costs for 2003. The fire station recently replaced the carpeting and is currently painting the exterior of the building.

Young is concerned that the citizens of Bonney Lake are paying for a facility that is used by the entire district. Packer disagrees. "First and foremost it is a response station. Administration services occur there, but (the cost) is very easily counter-balanced by outside responses to the city," he said. "That's worth more or as much as the fact that my office is in this building."

Packer explains that the potential loss of the lease is especially problematic since the bond that paid for the construction of the building - which also houses the Bonney Lake Police Department - doesn't expire until 2011. In essence, he said, citizens may be forced to make duplicate payments by continuing to pay for the building bond plus pay rent, should the fire station have to move.

Packer feels the current location is best for the citizens of Bonney Lake. "If we are unable to come to terms, we'd need at least two years to find a location that would serve as a hub and then pass a bond," Packer said. "The real concern to me is that this building was built with real strong public support." Administration offices can be located anywhere, he said. "But a fire engine and medic unit need to be centrally located."

Young sites several possible scenarios including renewing the lease at a higher rate or selling the building to the fire district. "They have indicated some interest in buying it," Young said.

There is no immediate time frame for the discussions regarding the Public Safety Building. "We have other more pressing items to solve, then we'll talk about that," Young said. Those items include water issues and a new City Hall.

Ultimately, the decision regarding the lease will be made by the city council.

Teresa Herriman can be reached at therriman@courierherald.com