$3 MILLION BUDGETED FOR LOCAL FIRE STATIONS.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Daily News Staff Writer

More than $3 million has been allocated to build a fire station in the core of Santa Clarita and to replace a temporary station with a permanent one at fast-growing Stevenson Ranch.

The proposed Los Angeles County budget, under review by the Board of Supervisors, reserves $1.2 million for Station 124 in Stevenson Ranch and $2.2 million for Station 126, which will be built behind the Santa Clarita Valley sheriff's station and across Citrus Street from the Valencia Town Center.

The money comes from fees paid by developers as conditions of construction, said county Fire Department Division Chief Roy Creel.

``Those stations have been in the planning stages for years,'' Creel said. ``With the amount of growth out here in the Santa Clarita Valley, we actually staffed Station 124 with an engine company and paramedic squad long before the station was there.''

That station, on Pico Canyon Road, was established about five years ago in temporary buildings. The permanent facility is expected to open late next year.

The department will ask the Board of Supervisors on May 5 to approve hiring an architect for Station 126. The aesthetic requirements for both stations are that they blend with existing structures.

The new station will serve the fast-developing Town Center area, including new office buildings and the Valencia Hyatt under construction, as well as surrounding residential area.

Station 124 is further on in the construction process, Creel said, noting that utilities and other infrastructure already exist for the temporary station.