Fire Station Development Topic Of Worksession

Steve A. Rohrbach of Rohrbach Associates P.C. talks with the Oskaloosa City Council Monday night during a work session.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – How the city will protect its investment in fire equipment, and help provide the space needed for this civil service, was the topic of a work session for the Oskaloosa City Council Monday afternoon.

The Oskaloosa Fire Department currently uses space in the building that housed the Oskaloosa Water Department.

The Water Department is in the process of moving from the building because of concerns about the building’s structural stability, especially in regards to a possible hazard from a heavy snow.

The fire department currently occupies the original building of what is currently known as City Hall. The building that houses the fire department was built in 1909 and two years later, in 1911, city hall was added.

As the city has grown over the years, so has its inability to be housed under one roof. For many years, trucks and other equipment have been stored in the back of the water department building, where it houses 6 apparatus in the building, including 2 brush trucks, a tanker, a reserve pumper truck and extra equipment. Those assets could be damaged if the building were to collapse, or personnel could be hurt.

According to the work session agenda description, “Meeting to provide input to the city’s architectural firm for the design of a replacement building at 213 South 1st Street or an expansion of the existing fire station at city hall.”

With that, Steve A. Rohrbach of Rohrbach Associates P.C. helped to guide the question and answer session on what the future of a possible addition to the existing fire station, or new free standing structure, would be for the community. The location would be the parking lot east of the current fire station and the old water department building, once it’s removed.

The cost of the project is the primary concern for both city manager Michael Schrock and the Council, with Schrock looking at options to extend the start time of the project until 2015 in order to limit debt and a possible increase in taxes.

The concern then turned to how to make sure the investment in equipment and keeping personnel safe in regard to the old water department building that is being used. Alternative storage areas will continue to be assessed.

The council will take the matter up once again in February, when Rohrbach will deliver initial studies for further discussion. No cost for the project is yet available.