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Board directs study of emergency services building and EMS facilities as part of 10-year capital planning
Summary
Trustees discussed joint fire/EMS facility needs and directed staff to define the scope of a facilities and user study for the Emergency Services Building; staff estimated a possible multi-million-dollar future facility and recommended a study in the 2026 budget cycle to determine needs and timing.
Cottage Grove, Wis. — Village trustees on May 19 directed staff to pursue a facilities and user study for the Emergency Services Building to better define long-term sheltering, fire and EMS facility needs as the region grows.
Board members and fire/EMS commissioners said volunteer staffing for fire and EMS is under strain regionally and locally, and that facility needs — including building capacity, roof replacement and possible expansion to meet call-volume growth — should be studied before the board considers major capital spending. Chief officers at the Deer Grove EMS Commission and joint fire commission discussed a roof estimate of about $225,000 for the emergency services structure and preliminary study cost estimates in the $50,000 to $100,000 range to evaluate future needs.
Trustees heard that EMS currently functions as a tenant in the emergency services facility and that the village must coordinate with the town and partner jurisdictions on long-range capital planning. Staff said an initial study would identify short- and long-term facility needs, costs and options for siting a possible satellite station or expanded Emergency Services Building.
Finance staff cautioned that cost estimates were preliminary; a 10-year facility plan with possible construction costs in the low millions — $3 million to $6 million was mentioned as a rough placeholder — could vary widely depending on the study's findings. Trustees asked for a clear scope of work for the study and recommended the item be included in the 2026 budget cycle as a funded study first, followed by capital planning and budget prioritization once the study produced concrete recommendations.
The board also discussed workforce development options such as apprenticeship programs to bolster volunteer and career staffing levels and acknowledged that Deerfield and other partner municipalities will need to be engaged in the study and eventual planning.
