The future site of the proposed Reinbeck Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services building located north of Highway 175 on the eastern outskirts of town. This fall, City of Reinbeck voters will decide on a $4 million public measure to fund the new building. PHOTO BY SOREN M. PETERSON

REINBECK – After failing to put a public measure for a new fire station on the ballot in 2024 due to a clerical error and then standing down in 2025 to avoid ballot competition with the Gladbrook-Reinbeck school bond referendum, construction of a new Reinbeck Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services building will be put to voters this fall in the form of a $4 million public measure.

During the Monday, July 6 Reinbeck City Council meeting, a resolution calling for an election to fund a new fire and EMS building using general obligation bonds was passed unanimously by the council, Mayor Jamie Eiffler told the newspaper. On Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, City of Reinbeck voters will be asked to decide on the following question:

“Shall the City of Reinbeck, in Grundy County, State of Iowa, enter into a loan agreement and issue general obligation bonds in an amount not exceeding $4,000,000 for the purpose of paying the cost, to that extent, of constructing, furnishing and equipping a new municipal fire station?”

The measure will require a supermajority of at least 60% of the total votes cast in order to pass.

In late summer 2021, the fire department commissioned its first set of building plans for a new station. The following spring in April 2022, the city council approved the purchase of a four-acre parcel of land along Highway 175 east of town from landowner Brad Ohrt for $160,000 with the intention of one day bonding for a new station. The lot is located on the north side of the highway and directly east of The Center fitness facility.

PHOTO BY SOREN M. PETERSON

In the years since, the fire department has been fundraising for the project – raising over $400,000 but spending nearly $130,000 – while also fine-tuning plans, including scaling back from a steel building to a less costly wood frame option with an exterior metal shell.

Sunday town hall

The first of six scheduled town halls to address the bond referendum was held on Sunday, July 19, at 3 p.m. in the Reinbeck Memorial Building. The presentation was led by Reinbeck Fire Captain Tim Johnson with help from Chief Chris Heasley and was nearly a carbon copy of the presentation the pair gave in late October 2024 – a presentation that kickstarted the department’s official capital campaign launched in hopes of avoiding a bond referendum. At the time, the goal was to fund a new, $3.9 million fire and EMS building measuring just under 14,000 square feet and including 9,900 square feet of apparatus floor area. Site prep would add another $310,000, bringing the grand total in 2024 to $4.21 million.

This past Sunday, 10 members of the public were in attendance at the town hall during which presenters explained that due to inflation, the total cost is now $4.31 million and includes site prep, paving, and construction. The City of Reinbeck is responsible for bringing in water and sewer.

Through fundraising, the fire department still intends to reduce utilization of bond proceeds, but at $4 million the tax impact on homeowners would be roughly $181.83 annually per $100,000 of assessed valuation – if the public measure were to pass. The term would be 20 years. In any given year, the city council could allocate other available revenues to the payment to reduce the tax impact.

Reinbeck Fire Captain Tim Johnson speaks during a town hall held on Sunday, July 19, 2026, at the Memorial Building. Five additional town halls have been scheduled ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. PHOTO BY SOREN M. PETERSON

A bond proposal brochure distributed during the town hall declares, “Fire service and EMS have changed drastically over time and we’re continually working to react and to plan for those changes and improvements. While our current fire station has served the citizens of Reinbeck well over the last 65 years, it’s no longer meeting our needs on multiple fronts including: firefighter safety, apparatus storage and maintenance, and entry/egress. These are fundamental aspects of operating a Fire Department and unfortunately the existing building no longer properly meets these critical needs.”

Current station

Reinbeck Fire dates back to 1892 and today has a coverage area of at least 100 square miles. Three main entities along with the community’s citizens fund the department, including the City of Reinbeck, the Reinbeck Farmers Fire Association, and Reinbeck Firemen Inc. While the city provides for the fire station, one city pumper, and an annual budget to sustain operations, the Farmers Fire Association funds all remaining fire trucks plus necessary PPE and equipment for fire, rescue, and EMS.

The third entity, Reinbeck Firemen Inc., is the nonprofit fundraising arm of the department.

The current fire station is located on Broad Street adjacent to the Memorial Building. The size of the building – the apparatus floor is approximately 5,500 square feet and houses 10 pieces of equipment – is chief among its issues and has led to overly congested quarters, severely narrow entry and exit points, and communication difficulty due to tangled lines of sight in the building.

PHOTO BY SOREN M. PETERSON

Following the October 2024 town hall, the newspaper toured the existing fire station with Chief Heasley. Our reporting at the time stated, “A visit next door to the station’s current six bays which are housed in two connected buildings quickly proves Heasley’s point – with all the trucks backed inside there is practically zero space remaining to access turnout gear unless a firefighter were the width of a board and somehow a magician who could get dressed while smashed against a fire truck’s side.”

Further reporting indicated, “There is no safe drive-through bay due to the building’s layout as the alley is too tight for anything other than grass trucks. There is also hardly any storage space leading to various hazmat, mass casualty, and grain bin rescue equipment stored all over the back of the building with no good way to transport it.”

The maneuvering of fire trucks in and out of the building onto Broad Street – where parking can be extremely tight on Friday and Saturday nights due to all the patrons downtown – has not improved since 2024. The new 10-unit Reinbeck Apartments at the corner of Broad and Main streets, which opened in the spring of 2025, has complicated things even further.

New station

The proposed new fire and EMS building would face Highway 175 to the south and include seven bay doors. The layout would allow entry and exit from both sides of the building. The new station’s doors would measure 12 feet by 14 feet; the current building’s doors are 10 feet by 12 feet.

The Reinbeck Fire Department recently replaced the fundraising thermometer at the site of its proposed new fire station, a four-acre, city-owned parcel east of town. The department has raised more than $400,000 toward the new building thus far. PHOTO BY SOREN M. PETERSON

The new building would also house an office area, radio room, EMS storage, training room, and kitchen and laundry facilities. Much of the storage space would be located on the building’s mezzanine.

In an effort to expand its capital campaign, the fire department has added several opportunities for dedication rights, including the seven apparatus bays – every $100,000 donated secures naming rights to one bay. For a $75,000 donation, the new fire station’s kitchen or meeting/training room can be named. Naming rights to the radio room or main office can be secured for a $50,000 donation.

“Why name a space?” the bond proposal brochure asks before listing several dedication scenarios, including:

-Leave a legacy – your family or business’ name displayed for generations to come

-Honor someone – dedicate a room in memory of a loved one, veteran, or a longtime volunteer

-Invest locally – your gift directly funds the facility while earning lasting recognition

Every dedication made to the new building will include both permanent signage and public recognition.

During the Q&A portion of last Sunday’s meeting, Chief Heasley worked to dispel inaccuracies regarding the new fire station, including where the new building will be located. Heasley said it will not be built in the 100-year floodplain; only the corner of the parcel lies in the floodplain. Prep work on the site will include slope work.

Also despite rumors to the contrary, there has never been a plan to include a fitness center in the new facility.

As much as some folks want it to be true, the new building cannot be constructed one piece at a time with pauses between work for further fundraising. The fire department is required to raise and/or bond the full cost of the project prior to construction commencing – before any dirt is moved.

Finally, despite the public measure’s language allowing such purchases, bond proceeds will not be used for furnishings – those purchases will be the fire department’s responsibility, the chief said.

Future town halls, ways to donate

The fire department plans to hold five more town halls at the Memorial Building prior to the Tuesday, Nov. 3 general election, including on Sunday, Aug. 16 at 7 p.m.; Sunday, Sept. 13 at 3 p.m.; Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 18 at 3 p.m.; and finally Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m.

Those who would like to donate to Reinbeck Fire Department’s fire and emergency services building fund can make a tax-deductible donation by dropping off checks payable to Reinbeck Firemen Inc. at City Hall (414 Main Street, Reinbeck, IA 50669). The fire department can also be supported through Venmo: @Reinbeck-Fire.

For more information, follow the department on Facebook.