At a special meeting held Tuesday night, the discussion revolved around two sites:

Building a new fire station complex east of State Center on land donated by Harlan and Jeanette Kloppenborg. An initial cost estimate for this structure is $3.1 million. A bond issue for $1.5 million to partially fund this new build complex fell just short of receiving a 60 percent supermajority vote in November of 2023. The additional $1.6 million are expected to be a fundraising project.

Purchasing the West Marshall storage facility property (formerly known as the “Opera House”) that is located east of the current fire station on State Center’s Main Street. Plans would be to either renovate the current structure or dismantle the “Opera House” in order to build a new facility. Preliminary cost estimates for either option at this location are projected to be around $1.7 million.

Mike Kielly, who currently works for the City of State Center, was first to share his opinion. He felt the best decision would be to go back to the concept of building a structure east of town. Kielly suggested “revising the floor plans” for the proposed fire station in order to lower the cost. The council would have to again bring a $1.5 million bond issue to the public for a vote in November to help fund this construction project.

MID-IOWA ENTERPRISE ARCHIVE PHOTO — An older picture of the former Opera House via the Mid-Iowa Enterprise archives.

Mayor Craig Pfantz next voiced his concerns regarding the lack of parking space at the proposed expanded Main Street location option, contending that it would be a “deal killer” for him to renovate or build next to the current State Center Fire Department building because of the parking issue.

Council member Harlan Quick shared that he would be more likely to be supportive of the Main Street location if the plans created a structure that “fits in” with the historic Main Street design, realizing that “making it look good” would also increase the cost of the project.

Police Chief Jon Thomas inquired as to who is leading the fundraising campaign for the fire station project. All in attendance agreed that fundraising efforts need to begin, but the location and building design for the project should be determined first.

Thomas felt that the only “realistic cost option” is developing the Main Street location at a cost of almost $1 million less, and he also asked if the council thought that at least $500,000 could be fundraised by the fall. Without a definite plan in place, council members noted that fundraising can not yet begin.

Also weighing in on the discussion was State Center Fire Chief Brad Pfantz, who said that the SCFD volunteers have essentially “given up” on the $3.1 million “stripped down design” structure that was proposed to be built east of town. He agreed with Thomas that utilizing the property on Main Street is the most realistic option cost wise.

It was noted that an elevator would have to be installed in the Opera House facility if renovation was the path chosen, which would be an ADA requirement due to the size of the building. There were also questions about whether it would still be required to install an elevator at an estimated cost of $58,800 if the second floor was not going to be used. Councilman Howard Darrow pledged to further investigate that possibility.

A report received from StructureFy Engineering, Inc. outlined that the current Opera House structure leans toward the north, and water going toward the building has washed out the western stair base, which would necessitate additional grading of the property. It was also pointed out that the building would need some “structural TLC” with plenty of contingency funds for the project as there may be “many issues not visible to the naked eye.”

If the option to demolish the current West Marshall storage facility property is chosen, a $100,000 estimate was provided. Catherine Noble, a State Center resident and member of the State Center Historic Preservation Commission, questioned why a building that had survived for over 140 years could not be saved, and she suggested gathering more information from citizens as to options on how to better utilize and/or restore the building.

Noble was under the impression that a decision was going to be made at this meeting regarding the demolition or renovation of the former Opera House, but Mayor Pfantz responded that such an action was not being considered yet.

“I want to see this done right,” the mayor said as he concluded the discussion.

The next regular meeting of the council will be held on Tuesday, March 19.