Katelyn Larese
Voice News, New Baltimore, Mich.
(TNS)
Oct. 1—New Baltimore officials are considering future possibilities for the city’s fire station and municipal building on Green Street.
The city council voted on Sept. 23 to move forward with an evaluation of the building that could potentially lead to future renovations or a new facility. The study will be completed by Partners in Architecture PLC in the amount of $36,400.
“The current fire station and city hall building was constructed over 50 years ago,” said John Monte, president of Project Control Engineering Inc., in a Sept. 5 letter to Mayor Tom Semaan. “Since that time, both the city administrative staff and fire department have outgrown the facilities. The building lacks ADA accessibility and needs upgrades and/or expansion.”
Needs for the building have been a topic of discussion among city officials for several years.
“We have a plan from 2007 that has that this building is outdated and it doesn’t fit the standards from 2007,” council member Jason Harvey said, at the recent meeting.
“This problem was addressed 17 years ago and we didn’t do anything about it then. … Now, this building is — I mean, there’s so many problems we don’t know where to start,” he added.
A committee was formed to help evaluate the fire department needs for building repairs and possible expansion, according to Monte’s letter.
“We were quickly made aware of some current code violations, safety hazards, ADA compliance issues, gender accommodation requirements and facility shortfalls,” he wrote.
The committee recommended city council approval of the proposal from Partners in Architecture at a workshop meeting on Aug. 3. The firm will conduct a site and building analysis, evaluate needs and space requirements for both the fire department and city administration, develop design options and provide cost estimates.
“This information will be beneficial for making an informed decision on how to proceed with future facilities,” Monte said.
Prior to the council’s vote, members discussed how a future project would be funded.
“Everyone’s going to be excited about the new fire hall and the new city hall … and we have no funding that I know of to do it,” council member David Duffy said. “So I think we need to have a discussion.”
Funding options could potentially include a bond or millage, officials said.
“That is going to have to become a vote of the residents because no way are we empowered to approve that kind of debt on the backs of the residents,” Semaan said. “It has to go before the residents. It’s just a matter of how.”
Harvey stressed the need to take action on the building.
“I don’t want to spend the money either, but when you have a building that is not sufficient for the fire department and for your city hall, it’s going to become an issue whether we like it or not,” he said. “So it’s at some point going to have to be addressed, and we can’t wait another 17 years. We’re up here to make the hard decisions. … We have to start somewhere.”
Mayor Pro-Tem Flo Hayman agreed, noting firefighters had resorted to sleeping on recliners in the kitchen, although Semaan said they have beds now.
“This study is urgent,” Hayman said.
In 2021, voters approved a new millage to fund fire department staffing and other operational costs. The millage was estimated to raise roughly $445,000 the first year.
“At that time that would’ve been an amp