Rebuilding Sonoma County: Fountaingrove construction sees ‘a lot of movement’

When Tom Francois celebrated the completion of his Fountaingrove home earlier this month surrounded by hundreds of friends, former neighbors and strangers, it felt like “winning the lottery.”

The 77-year-old property owner was the first in the hillside neighborhood of northeast Santa Rosa to have a home rebuilt and ready for occupancy. It marks a personal triumph for Francois and a milestone for Fountaingrove, where rebuilding activity has lagged behind Coffey Park, the other Santa Rosa neighborhood leveled by the Tubbs fire.

“It was pure exhilaration,” Francois said of a Sept. 15 ribbon cutting ceremony and open house. “The best part was the people came up and the hugs that went around. It was a bit of a love fest … that made me very, very happy. But my heart aches for the people who are not in (homes). But they will be.”

Francois, whose right leg was amputated below the knee in 2001 after complications with blood clots, rebuilt the home as a tribute to his beloved wife of five decades, Carol. She died in 2014 after a battle with lung cancer. His new home has special touches such as crown molding, French doors and granite counter tops, he said, because Carol would have loved them.

It was constructed by Sonoma County Builders, a general contracting company that began building homes after October's fires and is now building 12 homes in Fountaingrove, said Chief Operating Officer Eric Keith.

Francois plans to sleep in his new home for the first time Oct. 9 - a year to the day his home was leveled by the Tubbs fire.

Homebuilding gains momentum

Francois' home is only one of two Fountaingrove houses that have been completed in the area almost a year after October's fires destroyed more than 1,400 homes here. That stands in stark contrast to the Coffey Park neighborhood to the west, where 20 houses have been finished and hundreds more are underway.

Complications stemming from the fire - including debris removal, the hilly terrain and water contamination issues - have slowed rebuilding in Fountaingrove. In total, 165 homes are now under construction in the area, while 200 permits have been issued.

There are more homes in the pipeline for Fountaingrove, with 343 permit applications submitted, just under a third of the pending rebuild permits citywide.

“We are starting to see a lot of movement in Fountaingrove,” said David Guhin, the city's director of planning and economic development.

Water advisories soon may end

Officials are hoping to lift next month advisory orders warning residents against bathing in or drinking the water in a 184-acre section of Fountaingrove, according to Jennifer Burke, the city's deputy director of water and engineering resources.

The Tubbs fire melted water pipes in Fountaingrove and contaminated portions of the region's water system with benzene, a cancer-causing chemical. Crews have replaced more than 440 water lines and changed out three water mains and eight fire hydrants. Troublesome levels of benzene also were found in some areas as far out as Coffey Park, prompting additional attention and work.

Recent tests showed only trace amounts of the chemical that registered at levels under state-mandated safety limits. Testing will continue for at least a year, Burke said.

The overall effort was previously estimated to cost $43 million and take at least two years to complete. The city chose to first replace the water lines and other components at a cost of $8 million, costs the city hopes will be reimbursed by FEMA.

“This has been and continues to be the top priority for us,” Burke said. “We have been able to really follow the data … and come to a resolution that not only restores water quality, but does so in a way that's a bit faster than initially anticipated.”

Water system overwhelmed in fire

Separately, an outside consultant's report commissioned to examine the performance of the city's water system concluded that it was solidly designed, but was overwhelmed during the Tubbs fire. Sharp drops in water pressure throughout the area impeded firefighting efforts and factored in the contamination problems, the report found.

The but the system's deficits - tanks being empty or not completely full, pumps failing and backup generators not performing - did not play a significant role in the pressure drop, the city consultant determined. To blame was the enormous outpouring of water from sprinkler systems, garden hoses and showerheads in more than 3,000 structures as they burned, the report found.

It offered several recommendations to improve the system's performance in disasters, including transitioning backup generators to diesel, looking into automatic shut-off valves, and installing redundant communications systems.

The city last week issued a request for proposals for an independent consultant to complete an “in-depth analysis” of those recommendations and determine what's feasible, according to Burke and city spokeswoman Elise Howard. Consultants have about three weeks to submit proposals, and the final cost of the contract will be determined based on the most qualified bidder, Howard said.

Effort to replace fire station

Local officials and civic leaders headed to Washington, D.C., for a lobbying trip this month, where federal officials announced a tentative decision to pay nearly $4 million toward replacing the 2-year-old Fountaingrove fire station destroyed by the fire.

“I honestly feel like we've been beating our heads against a brick wall, and on this trip, we started to see cracks in the wall,” Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Coursey said. “We're getting to know our way around and people are getting to know us. People are hearing what we have to say.”

FEMA officials said they had more than doubled their initial $1.9 million estimate for the station's reconstruction, boosting it to $3.9 million, said Adriane Mertens, a Santa Rosa spokeswoman. Those funds and an insurance payment of about $5 million, will likely make it possible to replace the station.

City officials estimate it would cost $4.5 million to replace the station at Newgate Court and Fountaingrove Parkway. It's now exploring other sites along the parkway west of Newgate, ratcheting the cost to about $8 million, Mertens said.

Meanwhile, the city is placing a temporary fire station at 3480 Parker Hill Road, the site of a vacant station also destroyed by the fire. Work to repair fire damage, connect the buildings to utilities, and provide ADA access to the station began in July and is expected to wrap up this fall, Mertens said.

You can reach Staff Writer Hannah Beausang at 707-521-5214 or hannah.beausang@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @hannahbeausang.