Fire hall updated provided

An update on the Ellendale Fire Hall project was provided prior to the regular meeting of the Ellendale City Council on October 10, 2024.

 

The city of Ellendale first contacted the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2017, thinking a fire hall similar to the one in Nerstrand, population 276, could be constructed for around a quarter of a million dollars. In the time since, the project is estimated at more than that. The most amount of money the USDA can provide is $450,000.

 

A new fire hall, per the current design, would be sized at 60 feet by 88 feet by 18 feet tall and would be fitted on a slab. Two possible locations were discussed, including next to the current fire hall, by the post office.

 

In 2017 and currently, the advantage for going through the USDA for funding was more affordable bonding – payments spread out over a longer time horizon at a lower interest rate.

 

From there, lots and lots of paperwork followed. The council did not move forward with any action during this informal time, but will likely move forward with more paperwork necessary for the USDA, while also looking into traditional bonding measures.

 

Since 2017, about $18,000 has been spent on design work for construction layout, schematics, such as pipes, wires, outlets, including the architecture drawings. The only bidder when seeking a contractor, which was approved, was Apex Construction.

 

If the city chooses to bond for the project, two options are available – bond through the Economic Development Authority or through general obligation bonding.

 

If the city goes through the EDA, this would avoid a referendum, but would cost more money via the interest rate on those types of bonds.

 

A referendum could happen if 5% of eligible voters signed a petition asking the city to put the General Obligation bonding question on the ballot for voters to decide.

 

“We’ve got a supportive community,” Ellendale Fire Chief Logan Busho said. “We’re not too worried about a referendum… But they do happen.”

 

Once funding has been approved through either the USDA or a general obligation bond, public notices will be issued, following which there would be a 30 day waiting period for petitions for a referendum. Then, if approved, the project would go out for bids. If a petition for referendum were issued, the project would be delayed until a special election on the subject could be called.

 

It was stated Thursday that spring construction was the target for the new fire hall. If there are no petitions, and the council makes a decision about how to pay for the fire hall, the construction process, through Apex Construction, would take roughly three-to-four months.

 

A special meeting of the council to discuss the fire hall was scheduled for Oct. 24 at 6:30 p.m.