With a new fire station nearing completion, the Oconto Falls City Council must decide what to do about the chronically leaky roof at the old firehouse.
During its regular monthly meeting Feb. 13, council members considered how to address ongoing leaks at the building at the corner of Jackson Street and Cherry Avenue, which is due to be replaced this summer by a new station at the south end of Memorial Park.
Street Superintendent Alan Winkler described the dated, damaged roof at the old facility.
“Basically it’s a rubber roof with ballast on top. It has a 20-year lifespan, and it’s been up there since 1984, so double its lifespan,” Winkler said. “It’s completely dry-rotted. So anywhere there’s been patching, it’s right next to the patch where it tears. So if you patch indefinitely, it’ll just keep going that way.”
Fire Chief Tim Magnin obtained three estimates to replace the roof for between $100,000 and $140,000 but conceded that a more temporary patch is working for now.
Alderperson Mat McDermid asked whether the council is ready to spend that much money.
“Do we want to do this, or do we want to determine what we’re doing with the building first before we decide to put a $100,000 roof on something?” McDermid said. “And second, how do we want to pay for it if we decide to do it?”
The options for the building include selling it or turning it over to another department, such as the Street Department or Oconto Falls Municipal Utilities.
“We need to figure out what the future of that building is before we put that kind of money into it,” said Alderperson Ashley Bahrke, who added that it’s possible the roof could be reconfigured to store higher vehicles such as the city’s two utility lift trucks.
“I don’t know if that’s a possibility, but we have no idea what we’re using that (building) for,” she said.
McDermid said his preference would be to bring the issue back when the 2025 budget is under discussion, rather than taking $100,000 or more out of the city’s fund balance.
“It’s patched and dry at the moment? I think we bring it back at budget time,” McDermid said.
wbluhm@newmedia-wi.com
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