From UTSanDiego.com: The Escondido (Calif.) City Council has approved a $550,000 budget increase for the remodeling and expansion of a fire station that was infiltrated with mold.
Fire Station No. 4 has been closed since May 2010, after firefighters fell ill with respiratory and other ailments and mold was found throughout the building. The mold has since been removed.

The remodeling and expansion will modernize the 30-plus-year-old station, providing additional space for an ambulance company and individual dorms for a coed facility.

The council in March had allocated $2.4 million for an 8,150-square-foot station. However, fire officials said, the architect had not included his $250,000 fee in the project estimate, reducing the construction budget to $2.1 million. Once fire officials started working with contractor Erickson-Hall Construction, they quickly realized the project as designed would be overbudget.

Now, the new station will be 5,960 square feet and will use up to 80% of the existing building, including the two existing apparatus bays.