Battle Creek outlines $25 million fire facilities plan, defers Station 5 amid bid gap

Battle Creek city staff on Tuesday told the City Commission they plan to move forward with a multi-year overhaul of the city's fire facilities within a not-to-exceed budget of $25 million, while deferring work on Fire Station 5 after bids came in higher than the city's target.

The presentation, led by Ted (staff member) and Cody Newman of Driven Design, summarized several years of studies, recent bid results and a proposed construction and financing timeline. Ted said, "We do have a not to exceed budget of $25,000,000 for the fire facilities." He and other staff said the commission will consider resolutions at its Aug. 5 meeting to issue bonds and to select a contractor.

Why it matters: The project would be the largest capital undertaking the city has undertaken in recent memory and affects emergency response footprint across the city. Staff described site decisions that aim to preserve response times, add space for possible future EMS units and bring aging stations up to contemporary accessibility and gender‑neutral standards.

Project background and scope City staff reviewed prior studies dating back to 2015 and noted a 2022 service delivery study and a separate facilities assessment that identified conditions prompting renovations and new construction. The original concept included substantial renovations to Station 1, new builds for Stations 2 and (previously) 3, minor work at Station 4, and larger renovations to Stations 5 and 6. A base construction bid from Schweitzer (the apparent responsive bidder) came in at $25,998,000; staff added a separate budget line of $2,000,000 for furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E), bringing the immediate construction-plus-FF&E subtotal to $27,998,000.

Additional project costs and the budget gap Staff outlined further project costs that put the total well above the city’s $25 million target: architectural/engineering and construction oversight (approximately $1,500,000 as estimated for the project going forward), a $2,500,000 contingency (roughly 10% of the project), and roughly $400,000 in bond issuance fees. Those additions produced a working subtotal the presentation listed at $32,398,000 before applying bidder deducts and value-engineering credits; staff said negotiated deducts and scope reductions could reduce that subtotal to about $29,621,000. That figure remains above the $25 million cap, and staff said further value engineering will be required.

Design and procurement decisions Cody Newman, the project architect, described the recommended changes after additional public, labor and staff input: build a new Station 3 on city-owned property near Dickman (near Warren and Oak Street) to avoid railroad‑track delays; reduce the scope of Station 2; repurpose Station 1 primarily for administration and storage rather than a full renovation/addition; perform no additional work at Station 4 given recent renovations; and defer Station 5 because its constrained site effectively requires a full rebuild at a cost the project cannot now absorb.

Cody said the design for Station 3 was developed to match Station 2’s layout where possible to save cost and to leave an element that could be converted to training space later. On the question of firefighter safety and durable materials, he said the team is selecting materials intended to last 50-plus years and emphasized those choices were weighed against cost.

Value engineering and potential scope adjustments Staff identified possible value-engineering actions that could produce savings, including scaling back Station 1 to roof and mechanical upgrades only, delaying or removing Station 5 from the initial bond-funded package, simplifying interior finishes and selecting less-expensive bay doors or appliances. Ted said staff is working with the contractor to find about $630,000 in additional savings and emphasized a desire to protect a 10% contingency for unknowns.

Financing and next steps Staff told the commission the Aug. 5 meeting will include two resolutions: one to authorize bond issuance (staff said the overall issuance being proposed is $28,000,000, which includes $25,000,000 for fire facilities plus funding for a Kellogg Arena HVAC upgrade) and one to finalize contractor selection. Aaron (staff member) said the city’s municipal advisor provided a recent interest-rate estimate of about 4.75% over a 25-year term; he added the city will competitively price bonds when it goes to market and may refinance later if rates fall. Ted said the project timeline assumes construction spread across multiple years: an initial roof/HVAC for Station 1 in fall, Station 6 beginning in September with an estimated 245‑day schedule (completion the following August), and Stations 2 and 3 beginning the next spring with 245‑day estimated schedules and projected completion in spring 2027. Station 5 was removed from the immediate schedule.

Site control and environmental checks Staff said Station 3’s proposed site is city‑owned and that environmental due diligence identified fill typical of infill sites but that mitigation is feasible. For Station 2, staff said it hopes to secure a land lease or site control from Bronson for a northeast corner of the Fieldstone hospital site; Bronson had previously held the parcel while a proposed housing tax-credit project pursued MSHDA approvals.

Public comment and commission concerns A resident, Reese Atkins, thanked staff for adding Station 3 but urged the commission to avoid letting Station 5 fall into disrepair if it is deferred. Commissioners asked detailed questions about firefighter safety, long-term durability of materials, the composition of the design-build procurement and how design and construction oversight costs are distributed; Cody and Ted responded that the team is balancing life-cycle durability against near-term budget constraints and that the project will require ongoing construction administration through completion.

What’s next Staff will return to the commission Aug. 5 with bond-authorizing language and a contractor award recommendation. Until then, staff said they will continue value-engineering work with the apparent low/responsible bidder to bring cost within the authorized bonding limits. If the commission approves debt issuance and the contract award, construction would begin on the prioritized tasks (Station 1 short-term mechanical/roof work and Station 6), with new stations staged to start in the next construction season.