The Cornbelt Fire Department plans to move equipment into the finalized seven-bay fire apparatus station along Franklin Street this weekend.
The estimated $2.5 million dollar project scheduled to be completed in August hit some bumps that delayed the finish date, but came in under budget at $2.1 million.
The Corn Belt Fire Department had a balanced budget with money available this project. Five-year projections show that the current tax base will provide adequate funds for the future of this project. Taxes rates will not be affected.
Plans for the new station took place over a couple years as the Department assessed its ability to serve residents and addressed needs for additional storage. The Department purchased part of the parking lot adjacent to the current station on Main Street. They also purchased two houses behind the station along Franklin Street where the new building is located.
“The trustees did a great job of planning for this,” Cornbelt Fire Station Cheif John Koller said. The Cornbelt has always been fiscally responsible and what former chiefs have done to make it what it is today.”
Koller also said this planning was first envisioned when the Department first originated in 1953.
The Corn Belt Fire District was established in 1953. The first building included a call center and two bays for trucks. In the 1970’s the building was expanded to include three additional bays and office space. Then in 1990 the station received a complete outside renovation and six additional bays.
Now with 10 fire trucks, rescue vehicles, water rescue vehicles, additional transportation vehicles and a parade truck, the Department struggles to retrieve equipment, which is stacked two back in their current building. The new building will not only make the fire trucks easily accessible but also provide additional storage for grass trucks, the dive and rescue trailer, snowmobiles and Bobcat.
“We had an aggressive (finish) date, but we ran into some soil condition problems,” Koller said. “We were pushing for that, but it didn’t happen. At the end of the day we’re looking at the end product and what it means for our district and community in terms of response times and being able to provide better service.”
Now, with this new facility, the Department will be able to store units such as the an emergency all-terrain Bobcat used to respond to on-trail medical emergencies at the Lake of the Woods in an accessible location.
