MONROE - The idea of a second fire station for the City of Monroe is more concrete than it's ever been.
The proposed west side fire station will be going through the appropriate committee stages Wednesday night before the City Council considers approval later that same evening.
The Community Improvement and the Public Property committees will discuss the west side fire station location to make its recommendations before the council meets. The Public Property Committee is also scheduled to discuss authorizing a certified survey map of the site to be prepared.
With site approval, Fire Chief Daryl Rausch said he will be able to start writing and applying for grants and loan programs.
The Public Safety Committee met in closed session Dec. 3 to discuss possible locations for the second fire station. They recommended to the Public Property Committee 2.3 acres in the Honey Creek Business & Industrial Park as the site of the proposed fire station.
The city property was chosen because its size allows for future expansion and it minimizes costs to taxpayers.
Rausch raised the proposal for a second fire station in early October at a Public Safety Committee meeting. He said the station would reduce response time to the west side, which has expanded in recent years.
Response time to the west side from the department's downtown station averages about 14 minutes, while east side calls are more in line with the recommended 6 to 8 minutes.
City aldermen toured the present fire station in November. Several noted the crowded conditions, which they said will be a factor in their decision to approve building a second station.
Designating a location for the station is one step in the proposed plan scheduled to be completed in 2008.
Rausch hopes to have the project designed and engineered in 2009, and to start building in 2010. That schedule allows the department to move in by January 2011. The cost for the project is estimated at $700,000.
But Rausch believes the project will be less than that, and wants to keep costs "manageable and affordable for the public." He rejected the need to include living quarters in the station, which he said have not been needed in 45 years.
The new location allows for future expansion, but a large retention pond north of the site will limit any expansion in that direction.
Rausch said Artisan>design:build of Monroe is already working on conceptual drawings. Artisan offered to donate the conceptual drawings for the proposed station, which would include the elevation design, the floor plans and a 3-D computer rendering of the station.
Artisan is not designated as the engineering design company for the project and would submit bids as any other company when the time comes.
A proposed building plan is for the station to sit on 17th Street facing south to make use of solar heat coming into the building's large front windows.
The council is not yet committed to building the fire station, but any action Wednesday night would be a step in that direction.
The proposed west side fire station will be going through the appropriate committee stages Wednesday night before the City Council considers approval later that same evening.
The Community Improvement and the Public Property committees will discuss the west side fire station location to make its recommendations before the council meets. The Public Property Committee is also scheduled to discuss authorizing a certified survey map of the site to be prepared.
With site approval, Fire Chief Daryl Rausch said he will be able to start writing and applying for grants and loan programs.
The Public Safety Committee met in closed session Dec. 3 to discuss possible locations for the second fire station. They recommended to the Public Property Committee 2.3 acres in the Honey Creek Business & Industrial Park as the site of the proposed fire station.
The city property was chosen because its size allows for future expansion and it minimizes costs to taxpayers.
Rausch raised the proposal for a second fire station in early October at a Public Safety Committee meeting. He said the station would reduce response time to the west side, which has expanded in recent years.
Response time to the west side from the department's downtown station averages about 14 minutes, while east side calls are more in line with the recommended 6 to 8 minutes.
City aldermen toured the present fire station in November. Several noted the crowded conditions, which they said will be a factor in their decision to approve building a second station.
Designating a location for the station is one step in the proposed plan scheduled to be completed in 2008.
Rausch hopes to have the project designed and engineered in 2009, and to start building in 2010. That schedule allows the department to move in by January 2011. The cost for the project is estimated at $700,000.
But Rausch believes the project will be less than that, and wants to keep costs "manageable and affordable for the public." He rejected the need to include living quarters in the station, which he said have not been needed in 45 years.
The new location allows for future expansion, but a large retention pond north of the site will limit any expansion in that direction.
Rausch said Artisan>design:build of Monroe is already working on conceptual drawings. Artisan offered to donate the conceptual drawings for the proposed station, which would include the elevation design, the floor plans and a 3-D computer rendering of the station.
Artisan is not designated as the engineering design company for the project and would submit bids as any other company when the time comes.
A proposed building plan is for the station to sit on 17th Street facing south to make use of solar heat coming into the building's large front windows.
The council is not yet committed to building the fire station, but any action Wednesday night would be a step in that direction.