Teton commissioners weigh MOU talks for $8M donor-backed Station 8 firehouse

Teton County commissioners reviewed — and could choose to pursue — a public-private partnership that would add a new volunteer fire station in the North Gros Ventre area, according to a Fire/EMS workshop staff report for the board’s March 9 meeting. The proposal centers on “Station 8,” planned for 947 Sandcherry Way on a county-owned parcel, and would be operated by Jackson Hole Fire/EMS as a volunteer station after construction. (Gros Ventre Fire Station Feasibility Staff Report)

The Friends of the Gros Ventre Fire Station (FGVFS), a nonprofit group, told the county it anticipates raising and donating $8 million to cover planning, design, permitting, construction, furnishings and equipment for the building; staff put total facility costs at roughly $8–$10 million. Under the concept described in the packet, the county would own and operate the station, and FGVFS would not retain operational control after construction. (Gros Ventre Fire Station Feasibility Staff Report)

County costs would be tied to standing up and sustaining operations. Fire/EMS estimated about $1.74 million in start-up costs beyond construction, including apparatus and volunteer onboarding, and about $104,846 per year in ongoing volunteer-station expenses (utilities, maintenance, and volunteer pay-per-call/training costs). The packet also flagged organizational impacts, estimating a 16% increase in departmental effort across divisions to recruit, train and manage a new volunteer station. (Gros Ventre Fire Station Feasibility Staff Report)

Staff asked commissioners for direction on whether to negotiate a memorandum of understanding with FGVFS, and outlined a notional timeline that would start with an MOU in March 2026, begin construction in spring 2027, and target occupancy and operations by spring 2029. (Gros Ventre Fire Station Feasibility Staff Report)