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A feasibility study launched in 2024 has determined that the best location for the Celina Fire Department is in a renovated city hall rather than a new location. City hall was built in 1892 and also houses Celina Municipal Court.
CELINA - Celina city officials will likely renovate the existing fire station rather than build a new one, a project that could cost close to $18 million, based on very rough estimates.
At the city council's regular meeting on Monday night, Celina Mayor Jeff Hazel revealed that a feasibility study of the city hall/fire department has finally been turned in by Mull & Weithman Architects Inc. of Columbus.
In 2024, councilors had appropriated a total of $77,000, including a 10% contingency, for the study, which was significantly delayed due to medical issues affecting the architect assigned to the job, according to city administrators.
The study was commissioned to outline ways to modernize and expand the space-strapped fire department, as well as identify potential sites for a new facility. City safety service director Tom Hitchcock said copies of the 150-page report will be emailed to councilors today.
Built in 1890, city hall houses Celina Municipal Court and the fire department. Fire personnel who perform 24-hour shifts have had to make do with confined spaces and inadequate living accommodations.
Though councilors did not discuss the study on Monday night, Hazel offered key takeaways, including the likely decision to stick with the current firehouse, to The Daily Standard following the meeting.
"There were multiple sites that were investigated, keeping in mind that we needed to … maintain a 4-minute response time … for our ISO (fire insurance) ratings and obviously for the safety of the community," he said. "There was only one viable spot (and) the owner of that property already had plans for it, was unwilling to go forward. So we are going to renovate downtown at our city hall."
Hazel put the cost of renovating the fire station at about $14.5 million. On top of that, there could be $2 million in soft costs for incidentals such as furnishings, appliances and networking, and another $1.5 million to temporarily relocate the fire department for 18 months as city hall undergoes renovation.
At the same time, the first floor of city hall would be revamped to the tune of $1 million, with some expenses, such as probation offices and restrooms, to be shared with Celina Municipal Court, Hazel said.
However, Hazel emphasized that his estimates are tentative and come before a design has even been made.
"It's just a feasibility (study) to show where it can be built, and obviously it's also showing things like the size of rooms, decontamination rooms, what the bays need to be, how they're going to dump out on Main Street," he said. "We think that at least initially it's going to be … about $14.5 million - and then with some soft cost incidentals."
During the renovation, the fire department would have to be relocated for 18 months, Hazel said. Asked about potential relocation sites, Hazel said that question would be taken up by council.
"That could be $1.5 million to just relocate them for a while to be able to tear down and renovate that whole building structure," he said. "I also spoke with … Judge (Kathryn Speelman) and tried to look at the type of coordination we have. So we need to protect all the parties within that building as we renovate."
City hall, Hazel said, is a beautiful facility with "some great bones to it."
"Certainly all that has to be taken into the design criteria as we go forward," he said. "Probably after the first of the year we will issue an RFP, which is a request for proposal, for design firms. Once we select that design firm, then we'll come back to council, obviously for appropriations and to move forward with design."
It will probably take roughly a year for a design to be finalized.
"Once that's completed - and we know what more of those hard costs are going to be - at that point, we can start looking at the grants and what kind of funding that we're going to do to be able to fund this," Hazel said. "Certainly we've got seed money from the 0.5% (additional income tax) that is going to this new facility."
At the earliest, construction could conceivably get underway in the latter part of 2027, Hazel said.
Earlier this year, councilors enacted legislation to o transfer $3.7 million from the 0.5% additional income tax collections and general fund into savings accounts to finance future park, police, fire and street projects and equipment.
The monies to be moved come from the city's general fund and a voter-approved 0.5% additional income tax for police, fire and street purposes.
The lion's share of the transfers was $2.3 million from the 0.5% additional income tax collections to the fire capital fund.
"These are these once-in-our-lifetime opportunities to finally do something," Hazel said of the project. "Even though it's an 1890 building in the main structure, there has been some add-ons over the years, but we need to tear those down in order to create a fire station with the appropriate rooms, meeting all the criteria that you need for fire service."
City officials must ensure there are enough bays, as the Celina Fire Department also provides emergency medical services as part of the Mercer County Joint Ambulance District, Hazel noted.
