Architect researching sites for Fairfield fire station

FAIRFIELD – The city of Fairfield is exploring four possible sites for its new fire station.

The Fairfield City Council has agreed to hire the architectural firm Klingner and Associates of Quincy, Ill., to investigate the sites and make a recommendation to the council.

The four sites they will look into are: remodeling the current location on North Second Street; the former Iowa Department of Transportation building on West Briggs Avenue that the city purchased earlier this summer; a site near The Depot Brewery on North Fourth Street; and constructing a new building south of the Jefferson County Law Center on West Grimes Avenue.

Fairfield City Administrator Aaron Kooiker said if the DOT building is not converted into a fire station, the city does not yet have another plan for its use.

Fairfield Fire Chief Scott Vaughan has spoken about the need for more space for his department's equipment, which does not fit in the current fire station. For instance, its rescue boat sits outside the station.