Pottawatomie County officials took the first step Monday toward a possible remodel or replacement of the Emmett Fire Station.
Fire Chief Jared Barnes presented a scope of work needing to be done on the building which is pretty extensive. He says a building inspector has determined that the bones of the building are still workable with a potential remodel.
“One thing he did mention was the walls. We haven’t looked at the walls but do know that on one south wall we did have some termite damage. The building’s got quite a bit of age and definitely needs something done,” he said.
County commissioners unanimously approved the fire department to solicit bids and shared concerns about the cost of doing any project, based on increases in building materials.
Commissioner Pat Weixelman suggested because of so many question marks on costs, the simple process would be to build new.
“As far as I’m concerned, it would take you two days to trash it, tear it down you’ve got your building pad, water and sewer, everything’s located right there. Then you build it to where it fits on the lot, a new building. I think you could get a new building done quicker than you would remodeling this old one,” he said.
Barnes says he’s approaching the project similarly to how the county approached Olsburg’s recent fire station project, where bids were solicited, and later rejected.
“Let’s get some people in there, give us their prices and we can either accept any of the bids or reject them and look at building a new building if this is one that can’t be restored,” he said.
While cost is an uncertainty, commissioner Dee McKee says she supports requesting proposals, knowing that state aid may be available from recent SPARK funds.
“I don’t mind getting a proposal to get bids. By the time you tear into the bathroom, put in the shower, change the plumbing and all of that stuff, you’re just basically building a new building but keeping the frame,” she said.
Commission Chair Greg Riat says another factor to consider is the Jeffrey Energy Center near Belvue, which faces an uncertain future as its parent company Evergy continues a measured plan to lessen reliance on fossil fuels to generate electricity.
“I don’t see the population of Emmett increasing drastically over the next few years so I don’t know that it’s going to make a difference whether that station can grow a whole lot,” he said.
The Emmett Fire Station has lacked a large number of volunteers over the past few years, further adding pressure on county officials to determine the need for a facility versus combining services with one of the neighboring communities.
Proposals will be reviewed by a selection committee and presented to the Pottawatomie County Commission on June 14.
