Since it was built in 1959, the Iowa City Fire Department building has received funding on multiple occasions to improve outdated spaces. Now, Fire Station 1 will undergo a substantial facelift beginning this month.
During an Iowa City City Council meeting on Jan. 7, the council voted to approve renovations to the fire department. Growing maintenance costs and aging facilities were cited as reasons for the updates.
Josh Moe, an Iowa City city councilor, said the discussion to renovate the fire department began in July of 2024 during an assessment of City Hall. The Iowa City Fire Department and Police Department are a part of the City Hall, meaning both were also assessed.
“[The Iowa City City Council] saw how bad their conditions were, and the fire chief was real clear,” Moe said. “What they’re living in right now is not equitable compared to the other fire stations and what other firefighters have across the region.”
Moe emphasized the necessity of updating Fire Station 1 to meet modern standards and the need for adequate facilities.
He also said that due to budget constraints, a total replacement of the building is delayed. However, Moe hopes a full replacement and prior discussion of creating a new fire station will become a reality in the future.
“As our community continues to grow, we were really hoping to build another fire station — Fire Station 5 — because as the city grows geographically, we need more fire stations,” Moe said. “We just had to make the hard decision at the budget meeting to say Fire Station 5 is off the table for the time being. We know we need to replace Fire Station 1 because of its quality.”
Fire Chief Scott Lyon said the renovations of the fire department are essential to aid employees.
“The goal of the upgrade is to create individual sleeping rooms to provide privacy and overall wellness for our employees,” Lyon said.
Lyon said other specific renovations of the building along with creating individual sleeping rooms in the upstairs dormitory, which has not been updated for 40 years, include adding a dedicated mother’s room and installing individual shower and restroom facilities.
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“I think [the renovations] will benefit the community because firefighters work 24 hours a day, and communal sleeping is difficult in a dorm,” Lyon said. “When we do have the opportunity to get some rest, hopefully, it’s meaningful rest, and it helps our firefighters be more prepared to do their job.”
Lyon said he hopes these renovations will attract new employees along with finding a new structure to host the fire department in the future.
City Manager Geoff Fruin said these renovations are deeply connected to the city’s renovation plans, which are set to be completed in the next 10 years.
However, Fruin said the current refurbishments are the short-term solution until the long-term goal of relocating Station 1 to a new downtown site is achieved.
“It’s a longer-term objective and one that we’re continuing to work towards, but it would take a number of years to achieve,” Fruin said.
Fruin said funding for the Fire Department has already been secured, but the police department and other projects have not yet received funding.
“Should those projects go forward, it would likely be that a community referendum would be needed to authorize borrowing to allow for the construction of those facilities,” Fruin said.
Nonetheless, Fruin said the renovations will continue to benefit the community.
“The renovations are really aimed at improving the working conditions for our public servants, the ones that are out there responding to calls for service,” Fruin said. “So, providing that better space for employees will absolutely lead to better public service on the street.”
According to meeting documents, the renovations are being performed by the Swanson Construction Company, which is based out of Bettendorf, Iowa. The renovations are set to wrap up by this July.