GREENSBURG, IN — Greensburg City Council and the Board of Works both heard a presentation from RQAW Consulting Engineers Monday night on the results of a facility study on Fire Station One.
Vohn Wilson and Dustin Barth with RQAW presented three options: renovate the existing station on Ireland Street, which was built in 1975; demolish the current facility and build a new one on the existing site; or build a new one-story facility on a separate site.
Wilson and Barth are recommending building on a separate site, also known as Design Option C, which would increase the square footage from the current 8,000 to 21,000.
“It would be on a lot of about two acres, with 20 parking spaces for the firefighters and administration, plus six parking spaces for the public out front,” said Miller. “It would have four bays, an administration wing, and would be able to support (house) eight firefighters per shift.”
Wilson added the preliminary estimated cost to build would be approximately $7.7 million.
Barth said the fire station’s mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems need to be brought up to date and up to code.
“We did an evaluation of the existing site and essentially all three are meeting their life expectancies, so whether renovating the existing facility or building brand new, you’re looking at replacing all three,” said Barth.
Fire Chief Nathan Stoermer told both Council and the Board of Works that the presentation was merely for their information and that a decision is not expected right now. However, he added the fire department is asking for City Council’s guidance and blessing to move on with other aspects of this proposal, including exploring land acquisition options for a potential new site, once all of the members have had a chance to review the plan.
If the city moves ahead with the proposal, construction would take 14 to 18 months to complete.
