Rural Reinbeck resident, farmer Brad Ohrt (right) speaks to the Reinbeck City Council including Kyle Rasmussen (left) during the regular meeting on March 7 in City Hall about a 4 acre parcel of land he owns on the east side of town. The city is interested in purchasing Ohrt’s land for a possible new fire station location. –Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker

Reworked plans for a proposed new Reinbeck fire station and corresponding land acquisition were unveiled at the regular meeting of the Reinbeck City Council on March 7.

Reinbeck Fire Chief Chris Heasley presented to the council a second set of architectural renderings as well as a cost estimate sheet for the possible new fire station after the first set of plans – presented at the November 1, 2021, council meeting – was deemed too expensive.

The updated plans, prepared by Solum Lang Architects out of Marion, shave close to 5,000-square-feet off the original proposal by removing three bays, modifying a fourth bay, and narrowing the administrative area.

The changes collectively work out to a savings of close to $700,000, Heasley said, from the initial $4.7 million price tag quoted back in November.

The reworked plans include an almost 14,000-square-foot building with 4,000-square-feet dedicated to personnel and the remainder to apparatus.

Reinbeck Mayor Ash Larsen (left) and city council member Shawn Murphy (right) look over a project cost estimate sheet for a proposed new fire station during a presentation by Reinbeck Fire Chief Chris Heasley (not pictured) on March 7 in City Hall. –Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker

The cost estimate for the redrawn plans came in at just over $4 million, which includes $625,000 earmarked for site improvements.

Heasley first approached the council about drawing up plans for a new fire station during the July 6, 2021, council meeting.

At the August 2, 2021, meeting, the council approved a $10,000 contract with Solum Lang Architects for a new fire station design.

During the fiscal year 2023 budget discussions that took place as part of the January 3, 2022 council meeting, $100,000 of city certificate of deposit (CD) funds was earmarked by the council for a fire new station.

Location, location, location

Reinbeck city council member Kyle Rasmussen holds a placard displaying the original design for a possible new Reinbeck fire station while looking over a reworked set of plans presented by Reinbeck Fire Chief Chris Heasley (not pictured) on March 7 in City Hall. The reworked plans shrink the original proposal by 5,000-square-feet and $700,000 by removing three bays and narrowing the administrative area. –Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker

Following Heasley’s presentation on March 6, the council heard from rural Reinbeck resident and landowner Brad Ohrt about the city purchasing a 4 acre parcel of land he owns as a possible location for the new fire station – land he was previously approached 40 years ago by the city to sell.

Ohrt shared that he met recently with members of the Reinbeck Fire Department about the parcel which is located on the east side of Reinbeck – north of Hwy 175 and just east of Progress Drive near Van Hauen Auto & Truck Repair, in the shadow of Reinbeck’s welcome sign.

The 4-acre Ohrt parcel is part of a larger parcel that is currently enrolled in the Farm Service’s Agency’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The parcel has not been surveyed yet, Ohrt said.

“It’s not that you couldn’t build someplace else, however, good places here are kind of hard to find. It’s in the city limits, it’s zoned properly,” Ohrt said. “If you’re going to bond for building [a fire station] that [costs] north of three million [dollars], you should be able to come up with some money for the land that’s a small portion of it.”

Ohrt, whose family previously sold the city land on the west side of town for the soccer fields and park, told the council he is asking $160,000 for the 4 acres or $100,000 for 2 acres and would like to close on any land sale by June 1 if the city accepts.

Reinbeck Assistant Fire Chief Jamie Eiffler (foreground, left) speaks to the Reinbeck City Council about the need for a new fire station during the regular council meeting on March 7, 2022, in City Hall. –Photo by Ruby F. Bodeker

The land appraised last August, Ohrt said, at $140,000 for 3 acres.

“I’m not trying to gouge anyone,” Ohrt said.

At one point during the lengthy discussion between the council, Heasley, and assistant fire chiefs Jamie Eiffler and Tim Johnson who were also present at the meeting, Ohrt brought up the fact the city could conceivably purchase his 4 acres and use part of the land for a fire station while keeping the remainder for future commercial development.

The reworked fire station plans presented at the meeting would occupy less than 1 acre of land, council member Nathan Ragsdale said. Ragsdale is also a member of the Reinbeck Fire Department.

In terms of financing a new fire station – in addition to the $100,000 earmarked by the city for the project in next fiscal year’s budget – the fire department has a separate fund with around $100,000 to which donations are currently being routed, but ultimately the project would require a municipal bond vote.

Reinbeck currently has bonding power of $5.4 million, city administrator Julie Wilkerson said, but $1.846 million of that is currently TIF debt.

“I think if we dink around too long, it’s not going to get cheaper,” council member Corey Drips said at one point during the discussion. “Everything is going to keep going up. I think it’s a hard sell right now but as it comes together … [voters] realize what they’re investing in for the community … I think [a municipal bond] could go through.”

Eiffler and Johnson both spoke several times about the condition of the current fire station and the need for a new one.

“I encourage you if you haven’t been to the station, come take a tour and see, “ Eiffler said. “We’re backing into single doorways, it’s cramped in there.”

Council members Kyle Rasmussen and Shawn Murphy both expressed enthusiasm for the idea, citing not just the need for a new station but also the opportunity for a city-owned commercial lot. Murphy is also a member of the Reinbeck Fire Department

“We would have a chance at having some lots available which we don’t have now,” Murphy said. “To me, it’s a no-brainer to go after the land now … it’s showing that we’re going to grow as a community – we’re going to move forward as a community. Whether or not [a municipal bond passes], we know that we also have action on some land that we may be able to bring in some industrial or commercial [opportunities].”

Rasmussen asked Heasley what he needed from the city going forward following his presentation.

“Just knowing if you guys are on board. If we can keep proceeding,” Heasley responded before adding that ultimately he would like to see the issue on the ballot in November.

“But we’ve got a lot of work to do to get to that point,” Heasley further stated.

Ohrt told the council he would look into whether the city could keep the 4 acres in CRP once purchased.

The council ended the discussion by agreeing to give Ohrt a decision on the land in the next several months.