The board of the Stanislaus Consolidated Fire District authorized the purchase of property in Crossroads West to build a new station to serve Riverbank residents west of the BNSF railway that bisects the town.

In the original proposal on the district’s agenda, it included a map of the area to be developed west of Oakdale Road, between the Modesto Irrigation District canal to the north and Claribel Road to the south.

Although the map indicates the location of the new fire station would be on the northwest corner of Crawford Road at Oakdale Road, Fire Chief Mike Whorton said last week that it is more likely the district will purchase property on Morrill Road, in the vicinity of the Riverbank Sports Complex there.

He said it was likely to be less expensive for the district. He also noted there are plans to build one if not two school campuses in the area, as well, by the Sylvan School District.

There has been talk at different stages of the annexation process at city hall that Riverbank officials are expecting Sylvan to need to build both another elementary campus as well as a middle school in Crossroads West, to serve all the families that are projected to move into new homes in the project.

In addition to Riverbank, the fire district covers parts of Stanislaus County as far east as La Grange and include Waterford and Hickman, Empire and some of north Modesto outside of city limits.