Fire Station 2 Replacement

To commemorate the start of construction, a groundbreaking ceremony will be held. More information via invite is forthcoming.

On Tuesday, February 6, 2024, City Council approved contracts for construction of the new Fire Station 2 totaling $24.1 million. This increased the total project budget to $47.3 million. To date, only $39 million of general obligation bonds have been authorized in debt financing to purchase the property for the new Fire Station 2 site and begin design. To finance the increase in the total project budget after construction bids were received, authorization to issue additional general obligation bonds in the amount up to $8.3 million is sought.

Council will hold a public hearing on the fire station project on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. There are multiple ways to participate:

1. On-line via Better Together.

2. Voicemail by calling 952-826-0377.

3. In-person at the March 6, City Council meeting.

4. Watch the meeting and call in to provide testimony at 312-535-8110, enter access code 2632 641 2180 and password 5454.

a. Edina TV (Comcast Channels 813 or 16)

b. Facebook.com/EdinaMN

c. EdinaMN.gov/LiveMeetings

Council will take action immediately following the close of the public hearing at its March 19th meeting.

Following the hearing and a 30-day waiting period, the City will issue bonds as necessary to pay for project expenses.

On Tuesday, February 6th, City Council awarded contracts for construction of the new Fire Station 2 in the amount of $24.1 million. Several contracts are held by the City, while the majority of contracts were assigned to the City's construction manager, Kraus-Anderson Construction Company. Demolition of the site was completed in late 2023 in preparation for new construction. Construction is anticipated to begin spring of 2024 with completion in winter of 2025.

Planning Commission will review the proposed Fire Station 2 site plan on Wednesday, 9/13, and City Council on Tuesday, 9/19. These public hearings are an opportunity to provide feedback and learn more about the project. To participate and for more information, please visit: https://www.bettertogetheredina.org/community-health-safety-center

On May 16th 2023 staff updated City Council on design progress for the Community Health and Safety Center. The presentation included highlights of the design as well as the engagement process and feedback from the community. City council was pleased with progress and happy with the way it was progressing

Phase II Project Consultants

On February 7, 2023 City Council approved staff recommendation of the last member of the Project Consultant team. Kraus- Anderson was awarded contract for Construction Manager for the project. In addition to their help during the construction project, Kraus- Anderson will also provide assistance with budget tracking and constructability during the design process.

Last November, 2022, City Council approved the staff recommendation and contract with Boardman Kroos and Vogel (BKV) as the Architectural and Engineering Firm for the new Community Health and Safety Center project. BKV will lead design from preliminary and programming through construction documents and construction administration. Design team will meet with stakeholders throughout the next few months to create programming and needs for the space and site.

Council also approved the Public Participation plan for the Design phase of the project. This plan outlines the goals for two levels of participation, both consult and involve. Engagement will be through workshops and Better Together website. The project will also utilize the Values Viewfinder tool to evaluate Sustainability, Health, Community Engagement, Race and Equity in planning and decision making. Stakeholders will be identified throughout the process and input and feedback gathered.

On Wednesday, May 4, 2022, City Council gave approval for the City to enter into a purchase agreement for the property at 4401 West 76th Street for the purposes of building a new fire station. The City must secure debt financing before purchasing the property. To secure the most cost-effective debt financing, the City will ask Council to authorize financing for up to $39 million of general obligation bonds for the land acquisition and construction of the fire station project. The actual amount of debt financing needed to complete the project is not yet known because it depends on many factors, including: potential funding support from the state bonding bill; the results of the pre-design and design processes that establish the final scope of the new facility and the construction bids.

The first step in securing the financing is for Council to hold a public hearing on the fire station project on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. There are multiple ways to participate:

1. On-line via Better Together from June 1-16

2. Voicemail by calling 952-826-0377 (option 1)

3. In-person at the June 21, City Council meeting

Due to the economic impacts by extending the project timeline, Council will take action immediately following the close of the public hearing at its June 21 meeting.

Following the hearing and a 30-day waiting period, the City will issue bonds to pay for the property. These bond funds are intended to be used to acquire the property in late summer 2022.

The public input process on the site selection has concluded. Staff will be reviewing all the input collected over the next several weeks. A presentation will be shared with City Council on May 4.