Construction on Fairfield’s new fire station is moving steadily forward, with significant interior progress made over the past month and crews preparing for a major upcoming milestone, while city staff simultaneously worked to secure nearly a million dollars in outside funding.
The project was awarded to Christner Contracting of Ottumwa, following a November 14th bid opening that drew submissions from 10 contractors. Christner’s low bid came in at $7,298,347. Interior underground plumbing and electrical work has made significant progress over the last month, and masonry and roofing crews were able to complete work during periods of warmer weather. The subbase for portions of the building has been compacted and leveled in preparation for placement of the concrete floor, which could potentially happen within the month of April.
City Administrator Doug Reinert told the council that weekly project meetings are underway and that the project is on track despite some early delays. One remaining change order is expected, related to early setbacks in the construction timeline. The mild winter helped limit the cost impact of those delays, and the change order will also extend the contract completion date for Christner Contracting to account for circumstances that were no fault of the contractor.
Alongside the construction work, city staff spent the first two weeks of March focused heavily on grant applications tied to the project and other city needs. Three applications were submitted, totaling $912,000 in requested funds. Those included an AARP grant submitted March 4th, a Representative Miller-Meeks Community Project Funding application submitted March 6th, and a Washington County Riverboat Foundation application submitted March 15th. The Miller-Meeks application, submitted with just five days notice, was specifically focused on the emergency operations center component of the fire station and received letters of support from both the Iowa state EMA office and Jefferson County EMA.
Reinert noted that a large-scale community search for a missing person in March, which brought nearly 40 people from multiple agencies into the current law enforcement center, provided a stark illustration of why the new facility is needed. The cramped conditions, limited technology, and a single wall-mounted television that responders crowded around to view maps reinforced the case for a larger, better-equipped emergency operations center. Reinert said photographs from that day will be used to support future grant applications related to the need for expanded space.
The council also discussed longer-range fire department equipment needs during the meeting. The fiscal year 2027-28 capital improvement plan includes bonding for a new aerial truck at approximately $1.8 million, and the fire department has since requested the addition of a brush truck at $250,000 to be included in the same bonding package. The brush truck is the most heavily used piece of fire equipment in the fleet, regularly deployed off-road to field and grass fires and subject to far more wear and tear than other vehicles. City Engineer and Public Works Director Melanie Carlson noted that adding $250,000 to an already planned $1.8 million bond would likely have minimal impact on the levy, though a final recommendation awaits input from the bonding agent.
Photo courtesy of Werner Elmker.
