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West Bend moves forward with plan for new Fire Station 1 on Johnson Bus site; $24.7M estimate
Summary
City staff and consultants presented a replacement plan for Fire Station 1 at the Johnson Bus site that they say will improve response coverage, add training capacity and modernize firefighter facilities. The project is estimated at $24.7 million; council will consider formal approval July 7 and financing in September.
City of West Bend officials and outside consultants presented a plan June 16 to replace Fire Station 1 with a single-story, 44,700-square-foot facility on the Johnson Bus site, saying the location and design will improve emergency response coverage to the city’s west side and provide long-term equipment and training capacity.
The project team told the common council the current two-story station—built in 1960 and long noted as undersized—needs replacement to support modern apparatus, reduce firefighter exposure to contaminants and provide dedicated on-site tactical training. Trevor Frank, lead architect and principal in charge for SEH, said the design includes “hot, warm, and cold zone design” for decontamination and drive-through apparatus bays to reduce backing risks. Frank said the project is at about 30% design.
The proposal matters because moving Station 1 westward from its current location is projected to increase the share of households within target response times from 90.9% to 94.3%, according to the presentation. Chief Noren said the new site provides room for a three-story tactical training tower and on-site burn training—amenities currently unavailable nearby—and should support the department for decades.
The estimated project cost presented by the city’s construction manager, Corey Henschel of CD Smith, and the design team is $24.7 million. John Cameron, the city’s financial advisor with Ellers, outlined a two-step financing plan: a primary borrowing this fall of about $20.15 million and a secondary borrowing in spring 2026 of roughly $4.8 million. Cameron said the average annual tax impact to the typical homeowner over a 21-year combined debt schedule would be about $78 per year.
Consultants told the council the design incorporates modern health and wellness features, gender-neutral facilities and energy-efficiency measures. Frank said material choices—masonry exteriors and durable interior finishes—are intended to lower life-cycle maintenance for a building expected to serve 50 to 70 years. He said the design also prioritizes internal travel paths to shorten turnout time from living quarters to apparatus bays.
Council members asked about traffic and operational access from Highway 33 and STH 45. Frank and staff said they are studying signal-control options with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to provide prioritized intersection control for emergency departures during peak traffic; the DOT has provided preliminary support, staff said. Public commenter Paul Fisher asked whether the site layout would accommodate future, larger apparatus. Frank responded, “we can accommodate the largest truck making that turn to swing into the backside of the apparatus space.”
Councilmembers also heard that the existing station’s HVAC is at the end of its service life: officials said an earlier estimate to replace it exceeded $700,000 and staff now expect replacement costs could be between $1 million and $1.5 million if the old system fails. Speakers stressed that the current station’s two-story layout requires firefighters to descend interior stairs for calls and said a single-story design reduces that operational delay.
No binding council vote was taken June 16. Officials said the plan commission will review the site plan and zoning in the coming weeks and the council will place the project on the July 7 meeting agenda for an action vote. The project team said they expect to reach 60% and 90% design milestones this summer, acquire the Johnson Bus site, begin demolition and aim for a possible September 2025 groundbreaking and an August 2026 completion.
The council discussion included repeated references to maintaining the city’s ISO rating, improving firefighter recruitment and retention, and coordinating training with regional partners. Officials said the city will return to the council for bidding and award approval on any major construction contracts and that smaller operational repairs could be charged to the Riverwalk or other accounts as previously authorized.
