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Washington Evening Journal
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Washington, IA 52353
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Construction to begin on Fairfield fire station
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
FAIRFIELD – Work is about to begin on the new Fairfield fire station at the corner of West Briggs Avenue and North Fourth Street.
A chain-link fence went up recently blocking off the now barren patch of land where a building belonging to the Iowa DOT once stood until it was demolished in June 2023. Fairfield Public Works Director and City Engineer Melanie Carlson wanted to remind the public this is no “small construction project,” and that very soon construction vehicles will be moving in and out. She said this may include street closures while contractors cross the street with utilities.
The new fire station is schedule to be finished and open in a year and a few months, assuming no delays in acquiring construction materials. Carlson said recent tariffs may affect the cost of materials and the price tag of the final project.
“They are expecting an increase in the cost of their inputs,” Carlson said of contractors. “We can work with them on different materials or ordering materials ahead of time. Having gone through the 2008 [financial] collapse, the floods of 2008, and COVID, this is not unusual. It’s why I encourage the council to include contingency in our project cost so we have the money in the budget for it.”
In November, the Fairfield City Council voted to award the fire station contract to Christner Contracting Inc. of Ottumwa for $7.3 million.
HERITAGE PARK
In other city business, the public should also be aware that the new playground equipment planned for Heritage Park could be installed as early as this week. Carlson said it would take about a week to install the new equipment, but it will be roped off for awhile until the concrete has fully cured.
“Even if it looks finished, if it’s roped off, we ask the public to stay off it,” Carlson said. “We want to make sure everything is fully ready for people to enjoy.”
The Fairfield City Council approved the purchase of new equipment for just over $130,000, the majority of which will come from the city’s Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) fund. That’s about what the city spent on the new play structure at Waterworks Park in 2023, and the one planned for Heritage Park will also be a similar size.
Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com
