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By BRAD PFANTZ

How time flies. It was almost exactly 12 months ago, leading up to last year’s bond vote, that I wrote the last of a three-part series for ‘The Hot Spot’ about the history of our past fire stations, the need for additional space, and the plans for a new facility. Unfortunately, the vote failed by 0.44%. That shows the value of every vote and the importance of doing our civic duty in every election.

The City of State Center has placed the $1.5 million referendum on the ballot again this year. The only difference this year is the scope has changed. Last year’s plan was to build a new facility on 2.5 acres east of town. Due to new construction costs, the decision was made to evaluate the possibility of repurposing the current station and adding onto it. Our architect, Studio Melee, continued their services and provided multiple options for the Main Street location. Some plans incorporated the building east of the current station (the Opera House, which West Marshall Schools owned), and others were options without repurposing that structure. Ultimately, City Council purchased that property and voted to go with a design that did not include the Opera House, instead opting to raze that building and add a new addition onto the existing station.

For those who have not seen the renderings of the plan, the current station will be repurposed as four apparatus bays. The addition to the east will be a one-story structure with two apparatus bays and administrative space. The east end of the addition will be approximately 105 feet east of the current building, or roughly in front of the east rose bed in the sidewalk. This will allow for additional parking on the east end of the addition – something we are in great need of when our members respond to calls. One aspect of the design on Main Street that was important to us was that it “fit in” with our historic Main Street. There have been incredible improvements made in the last 20 years to restore our heritage and the Historic Row, and it was important that we respect that progress. In my opinion, Studio Melee has done a great job of making a modern Fire & EMS station fit with our other historic buildings.

As outlined in the past, our current arrangement requires our apparatuses to be stacked two-deep, which depending on the call type, provides for a delayed and inefficient response by having to shuffle trucks. The new facility will allow each apparatus to have its own bay, decreasing response times, and allowing for future growth. Fire trucks, similar to regular trucks or farm equipment, have gotten larger over the years, and the additional space will allow future/larger apparatus to comfortably fit in the building.

The increased size of the apparatus bay and the additional administrative space will allow us to store all our gear and equipment under one roof — something we haven’t been able to do for many years. We currently have equipment in six separate buildings throughout State Center, something that is very inefficient for a public service agency. The admin space will provide areas to securely store EMS equipment and medications, personal protective equipment, extra hose, gear, and other fire equipment, along with providing adequate space for meetings and trainings. We often have to relocate, most often to City Hall, and/or move apparatus out to accommodate those events. In the past few years, we’ve increased our training opportunities with our neighboring Fire and EMS partners, and this space will allow us to continue that effort without worrying about where to meet.

The primary goal we focused on with both locations is planning for the future. The last thing we want is to outgrow the building in 10-20 years. Some have asked, “Why so much space?” For a brief background, our current station was built in 1978, the department had four trucks at the time (it was designed to hold six), and only responded to fire calls. Today, a Fire and EMS department is called to any emergency that law enforcement cannot handle – fires, EMS, vehicle accidents, hazardous materials incidents, grain bin rescues, carbon monoxide alarms, confined space rescues, lift-assists, farm implement accidents, and the list goes on. I don’t have data going back to 1978, but I can tell you in the early 2000’s we averaged 145 calls/year with 42 volunteers. In 2023, we responded to 295 calls (214 were EMS) for service with 24 volunteers…twice the calls with half the members! Nationwide, volunteerism in our society has been waning for years. It’s not just Fire and EMS, look at your local civic organizations. Think of how many organizations each community had just a generation ago – Jaycees, Kiwanis, Masons, Rotary, Chamber of Commerce, etc. They are no more, or their membership isn’t what it used to be. Volunteer Fire and EMS departments are in a crisis, and if we don’t plan for the future and start addressing that now, we’ll be behind the curve.

We don’t know what the future holds, but it is very likely that sooner rather than later we will have EMS personnel staffed in the station. Providing space for that ability is important and was specifically considered when planning the design. In 1978, the City Fathers had the foresight to build for the future (we’ve been in that building for 46 years) and we’re doing the same.

I’m sure after all that, you are wondering how much this will cost. The architect’s Project Cost Opinion is $1.65 million. If that is where bids come in, obviously a $1.5 million bond does not cover the total cost. The difference will come from the City’s Fire/EMS Building Capital Fund and/or fundraising. Regardless of the final project cost, the maximum burden placed on City taxpayers will be $1.5 million. Using a 4% interest rate and 46.3% Residential rollback assumption, if your residence is assessed at $100,000, your tax increase will be $107.46/year, or $8.95/month.

In closing, your Fire & EMS volunteers would appreciate your support by voting YES on Nov. 5. If you have further questions or would like more information, a Public Meeting will be held on Oct. 20 at 4pm in the Community Room above City Hall. If you’d like to see the floorplan and renderings of the building in person, they are on display at Central State Bank.

Have a good month and be safe!

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Brad Pfantz is the chief of the State Center

Fire and EMS departments.