Fire Chief James A. Steele said May 7 that the cost of the facilities to be built to serve expanding populations along Knik Goose Bay Road and on Fairview Loop is estimated at $2.3 million to $3 million apiece.

"We have three station models, rural, suburban and urban," Steele said. "The models are based on an expandable basic plan which can be built as a complete facility or in phases. This allows the station to expand to meet the community's needs as the area grows."

Funding will come from the fire service area capital improvement projects portion of the annual budget. Funds are generated through the FSA mill levy for services. Architectural plans have not been prepared yet, but Steele said the borough has a conceptual draft floor plan as a guide.

The request for proposals is to be posted after public comment meetings and approval of the capital improvement plan for 2010 by the borough assembly. The buildings will be design-build, based on the request for proposals, he said.

Each facility will have an underground water storage capacity of at least 33,000 gallons, he said.

The Wasilla Lakes Fire Service Area, served by the Central Mat-Su Fire Department, covers a 150-square-mile area. The department currently has eight fire stations or substations. Steele said the addition of the two new fire stations would help to reduce response times in parts of the fire service area.

The current projected borough population is greater than 80,000 residents, and more than 50 percent of that population, as well as more than 50 percent of the assessed property valuation, lies within the Wasilla Lakes fire service area, he said.

Both new facilities are part of the department's long-range plan to address overall fire protection needs. The new stations will bring more property within the five- mile boundary that most insurance companies use in establishing insurance rates, he said.