The demolition of Los Angeles County Fire Station 71 in western Malibu will begin Monday to make way for construction of a new station, the City of Malibu announced Friday.
Firefighters were moved to a temporary facility nearby on Sept. 26, and will remain there until construction, which is expected to take 10 to 12 months, is completed. The temporary station is at Zuma Beach, about 2 miles west of the station’s current location in Point Dume, just north of the PCH-Zumirez Drive intersection.
“This location is centrally located to address the needs of the entire jurisdiction with minimal effect on response times,” the city said in a statement.
The Malibu Planning Commission approved the $8.3 million remodel of the station, which was built in 1939, in June, The Malibu Times previously reported.
The remodel includes increasing the size of the facility from 2,260 to 5,800 square feet, adding six individual dorms and private male and female showers, office space and an apparatus bay large enough to house two fire engines and a paramedic squad. There will also be an upgraded septic system.
The new station will also feature the artwork of local Matt Doolin, a collaborator at Topanga Art Tile. Doolin, who will create a tile mosaic for the building’s facade, was chosen by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission’s Civic Art Program from among more than 50 applications, according to the city.
