West Bend council approves offer to sell Fire Station No. 1 to Midwest Museum of Firefighting for $1

The Common Council of the City of West Bend voted July 21 to authorize an offer to sell Fire Station Number 1 to the nonprofit Midwest Museum of Firefighting for the price of $1, a move proponents said would enable a downtown museum showcasing a donated firefighting collection. The vote followed a presentation by museum organizers and comments from council members in support.

Museum leaders said the donated collection is currently housed in a 10,000-square-foot building in Polk and that Fire Station Number 1 has about 25,000 square feet, giving the project room to expand exhibits and add interactive, educational displays. "This collection deserves a tremendous home where as many people as possible can view the collection," said Jim Schlaemer, acting president of the Midwest Museum of Firefighting.

If the council-approved offer is executed, the museum will have a due-diligence period to inspect the building and confirm the project is feasible for the site; the museum…