The Minocqua Town Board made no changes Tuesday to the proposal to build a new fire station at a cost not to exceed $3.35 million.
The town electorate will vote on the measure this Thursday, Oct. 20 at a special town meeting. Fire Chief Andy Petrowski said they plan about a half-hour presentation, which will include a review of the current fire station in downtown Minocqua and the need for a new station. The meeting will start at 6 p.m. in the boardroom of the Minocqua Community Center.
The electorate last year approved spending $375,000 for four acres of land south of the Island to build the fire station. A projected cost for the building, including architectural fees and a contingency fund, is $3.25 million. The ad hoc fire department expansion committee has studied the issue for months, weighing different options, before settling on a 14,536-square-foot concrete block structure. Both the committee and town board rejected an all-steel, albeit cheaper, building.
Director of Public Works Mark Pertile said if Thursday’s vote is favorable for a new station, then bids would likely be let in late January or early February. The fire chief struck a hopeful note on the bid outcome, saying the last two fire stations and a municipal building bid out by their architect, MSA Professional Services, came under budget. “We’re hoping that trend continues,” he remarked.
The proposed building includes four bays for fire engines and tankers. The department’s current apparatus will fill three of them with the fourth held in reserve for future needs. The $3.25 million figure does not include furnishings, which department members plan to cover with money they have raised. A MSA architect and structure engineer who has been furnishing drawings and construction estimates will be at the meeting Thursday to help answer questions. Three alternate bid items are under review: a 150 KW generator, concrete epoxy floor, and a screen wall around that generator and related utilities.
Town Chairman Mark Hartzheim questioned the need for such a large generator, which is projected to cost $85,000. The other two projects would run about $50,000 each if approved. Hartzheim said later that the town would likely bundle the cost of fire station into a bond issue that would include upwards of $2 million for major road projects. “(Finance) rates are really low, petroleum costs are really low. It might be a good time to do a major road construction project,” he said.
Town officials will discuss the financing options Thursday, but will not have final numbers.
