By Clint Wolf - October 18th 2023

 

BELOIT

The Town of Beloit has moved a step closer to rebuilding its Fire Station 2 into a new fire station and town hall, after the board of supervisors approved subcontractor bids on Monday.

Officials from Williams Architects gave a brief overview of the plans for the new building, to be built on the site of the present Fire Station 2 at 1143 E. Inman Parkway.

Last year, the township received a grant from the State of Wisconsin Department of Administration in the amount of $7,675,000 to replace Fire Station 2, which was built in 1974. The town hall portion of the project is estimated to cost an additional $2 million and the town plans to use about $800,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to help fund that part of the construction.

The old fire station will be demolished, but the basement will become part of the foundation of the building and will not be demolished.

Subcontractor bids approved by the Board of Supervisors Monday totaled $2,128,733. Bids approved were as follows:

- Demolition — Break Thru Enterprises based in Lombard, Illinois — $85,000.

- Cast-in-place concrete — Gilbank Construction of Clinton — $748,000.

- Structural steel — Gilbank Construction of Clinton — $519,700.

- Cold-form metal framing and trusses — Klobucar Construction of Beloit — $438,600.

- Earth work — Corporate Contractors Inc. (CCI) of Beloit — $116,792.

- Site utilities — Fanning Excavation Inc. of Janesville — $220,041.

Mark Bushhouse, president of Williams Architects, said another package of bids will be advertised possibly in January. Those bids will be for flooring, ceiling, paving, painting and other work needed to finish up the project. Bushhouse said it is anticipated that demolition work will begin next month and steel will start to go up for the new building after the first of the year.

Town Chair Diane Greenlee said she was glad to see so many contractors from the area involved in the project.

“I am excited to get this project started,” she said.

Bushhouse said the apparatus bay will be expanded to include three drive-through bays rather than the current two bays. There will a patio area for firefighters, as well as a dayroom and kitchen, exercise room and training room.

The town hall portion of the building will be in the rear of the building with a lobby and meeting room and space for staff offices.

Town Administrator Tim Wellnitz said staff members who worked at Fire Station 2 already have been moved to Fire Station 1.

The Town of Beloit has had no Town Hall since 2019. The board of supervisors have been meeting in Fire Station 1 on Afton Road and several town offices have been moved to the fire station.

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