2024 Fire Station Project

Fire Station Public Bidding Process 

A Public Hearing was held and the contract awarded at the City Council meeting on the evening of October 8.  Eleven bids were received for the project, and the contract was awarded to low bidder Garling Construction of Belle Plaine, Iowa, at $3,376,000.

The next step is the contracting process to finalize the award.  Once completed, Garling will begin procurement and ordering of materials for the project. Construction is to be completed by February 2026.

City Council Work Sessions for Fire Station Project Re-Design 

The Atkins City Council worked on the re-design of the Fire Station Project at Work Sessions with Solum Lang Architects Al Buck and Michael Fritz, and Snyder Engineer Nick Eisenbacher.  See the handouts from those work sessions here.

A timeline for the bidding process for the Fire Station Project is being developed.

See the handout from the 8/19/2024 meeting by clicking here. 

See handouts from the 8/6/2024 meeting by clicking here.

See the handouts used in the presentation, with notes from the 7/29/2024 meeting by clicking here.

Fire Station Design Approved

The Atkins City Council approved the re-design of the Fire Station Project at their May 28, 2024 meeting.  Resolution 2024-05-08 designated Option B as the chosen design, with an opinion of probable cost of the full project of $5,078,288.19, and a construction bid cost estimate of $4,452,083.99.

The full project cost estimate is the architect’s estimate that includes associated expenses of design cost, soil testing, furniture, etc., and a contingency account for unforeseen costs that may arise during construction.  The construction bid cost is the estimate of what the contractor’s bids will be when the project goes out for required public bidding. The project is slated to have the re-design work required for this option completed and out for bid at the first of September. The intent is to award the project to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder and have construction begin this fall.

Option B is described as this:

  • A revised concept modifying design plans for an approximately 13,300 square foot facility and including only minor alterations to the maintained existing City Hall/Library parking lot.
  • The option requires an 8′-0″ reduction from the south end of the facility.
  • The design removes the previously described deduct alternates and includes:
    • PEMB (pre-engineered metal building) south bay wall (in lieu of brick facade),
    • Insulated overhead doors (in lieu of all glass overhead doors), and
    • Mezzanine shell space with MEP (mechanical/electrical/plumbing) stub-ins (in lieu of build-out).
  • The most significant change in this design is to the previously proposed parking lot replacement for the City Hall/Library and now Fire Station complex. This design calls for an engineering re-design that utilizes the existing parking lot for access to a rear apron entry to the fire station. This concept requires a new site plan for the project.  It is also expected to require a variance to the City’s minimum parking requirements.
  • The City Council did vote to add an alternate for consideration during the bid process that includes the incorporation of a drive-through apron from 3rd Avenue for access to a rear apron entry. This option, which would be considered when bids are received based on affordability, would allow fire vehicles to bypass the City Hall/Library parking lot and access the drive-through station directly from 3rd Avenue.

On June 25, 2024, the City Council approved a contract amendment with Solum Lang Architects to complete the design work required for this Option.

See all the information about the 2024 Fire Station Project design process here.