Jackson looks to new fire hall, ambulance facility in 2012

• Facility

Submitted Photo An artist’s rendering of the new Jackson fire hall.

Talk about it

JACKSON — Just in time for Christmas, Jackson residents are getting a sneak peek at a major 2012 gift to the community: a new $1.5 million fire hall and ambulance service facility.

“This is absolutely a good investment for the city,” said Pat Christopherson, Jackson’s city administrator for the past two years. “The [Jackson] city council approved the plan in September as part of the city’s preliminary budget for 2012, and the big thing is the city’s portion—about $900,000—is from reserve funds so there will be no impact on the taxpayers.

“In fact, over the long haul, the money we expect to save due to the new structure’s energy efficiency will alleviate the burden on local taxpayers.”

In an open house from 7 to 9 p.m. today at the Jackson fire hall, plans will be on display for the proposed 15,000 square-foot facility, which will be constructed on the site of the existing fire hall/ambulance service once the old building is demolished in April or early May.

“This gives citizens a chance to preview the project, look at the layout and ask about the construction,” Christopherson explained.

“It’s about public awareness,” added Mark Sasker, Jackson fire chief. “People can come and see the building design and have some light refreshments.”

Sasker, who has led the 30-plus member fire crew for the past two years and has been a part of the force since January 1987, is optimistic the new building will effectively serve the community’s combined fire/ambulance services.

“I’m real happy with the design,” Sasker said, noting it includes a common room, exercise space, showers and other features that have been lacking.

Currently, five people — the fire chief, assistant fire chief, training officer, ambulance director and assistant ambulance director — share one relatively small office, while the new facility will provide space for three offices.

“It will be a big improvement for the community and those working there,” Sasker continued. “Our new building will meet all of the codes and fill all our needs. Rebuilding on the same site [on Highway 71 in Jackson] makes sense because it’s a fairly central location for all the guys, and there aren’t a lot of options that aren’t in the flood plain.”

In his 25 years as a Jackson firefighter, Sasker has witnessed the current building’s many shortcomings, which are understandable when considering the building was a former car dealership and library, among other things.

“There is only one drain in there, and in the winter time, if there is any snow, it’s ugly,” Sasker said. “We use lots of squeegees to get the water off the floor, and we’ve patched and replaced the roof, updated the electrical—but you can only do so much.

“The trucks are getting bigger, so we’re bumper-to-bumper in there.”

Within the past year, the Jackson fire department has put three new vehicles into service — two tenders and one rescue truck.

“The fire department and ambulance service have invested in new equipment, and we need more space to meet state regulations for that kind of equipment,” Christopherson agreed.

At least $600,000 of the project’s cost will come from the fire and ambulance service reserves — a key factor in its quick go-ahead from the Jackson city council.

“Our fire and ambulance crew members are a great group of dedicated folks, and from a city council standpoint, we were impressed with how aggressively they were willing to partner with us in the cash needed for this project,” Christopherson said.

Christopherson is also enthusiastic about how much cost-savings the city expects to realize with the structure’s energy efficiency.

“The new space will give us about twice the square-footage of the existing building, but it will cost us half of what we currently pay to operate it.

“Sometimes the upfront cost can look kind of scary, but over the life of the building we will actually end up saving money because we won’t be hemorrhaging energy costs,” said Christopherson, who is equally excited about the structure’s anticipated curb appeal.

“It will provide the center of downtown with an attractive structure to go along with Bank Midwest and the new United Prairie Bank building,” Christopherson said. “As you drive into town and hit that block of new buildings, it will be a nice eye-catcher for the city and will represent the town very well.”

Sasker, along with ambulance services director Mike Muchlinski, is similarly thrilled with how much more functional the fire hall will be for firefighters and ambulance staffers — perhaps not surprising since its architect, Corey Brunton of North Mankato, is a volunteer firefighter himself.

“I’m hopeful everything will come together as planned,” Sasker said, adding that while the fire force is aiming to store the trucks at the fairgrounds during the construction period, their goal is to be operational in the new facility by early next fall.

“This is really about being able to give the community the best service we can.” Sasker said.

The public is welcome to attend the open house at the Jackson fire hall today from 7 to 9 p.m. to learn more about the design and plans for the new fire/ambulance service facility.

Tags: fire hall, ambulance facility, news, jackson, new, 2012