Published: April 8, 2014
Iron Ridge to get firehouse
Volunteer fire department project is self-funded
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News
Iron Ridge’s volunteer fire department is finally getting
its firehouse.
The department announced Monday that Keller Inc. has been
hired to construct a firehouse, expected to give another 3,000 square feet of
space.
Because the department is a private organization, it had to
fundraise the entire cost of the project, which Fire Chief Jason Boeck said is
$1.1 million.
“We’ve been fundraising for quite a while,” he said. “It’s
been five years in the making. ... It’s definitely a relief. It’s been a long
road for us to get this accomplished.”
Keller is a statewide company with offices in Germantown,
Madison, Milwaukee and Wausau.
“We can’t wait to get started,” project manager Bob Poch
said.
“The timing was right,” Boeck said. “The project won’t
impede our fire service.”
Located at 4000 Industrial Drive, Iron Ridge, construction
is slated to begin later this month and could be completed by Oct. 1, depending
on weather.
Groundbreaking is expected to take place April 29.
“They had a challenging budget just like every project
does,” Poch said. “Just meeting the budget was the biggest challenge.”
In addition to the added space, meeting rooms and a second
point-ofentry will be built. The second entry from the firehouse will allow
responders to go on to Highway 67, which Boeck said will help improve response
time.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has given verbal
approval for the entry onto Highway 67, Boeck said.
“We are building the new fire station to provide adequate
space for our fire apparatus equipment and to have additional training room for
our volunteer firefighters,” he said. “This is something we have been planning
for a long time. We are thrilled we can finally put a shovel in the ground.”
To help pay for the project, the department held various
fundraising events, including an annual picnic.
“We’re very excited and we’re looking forward to what our
future will hold in this new building,” Boeck said.
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