Consultants say Station 5 too small and unsafe to renovate; recommend investing on north side or new build

Bay City — Redstone Architects told the Bay City City Commission on Nov. 3 that Fire Station 5 on Smith Street is in poor to critical condition, insufficient in size for modern operations, and costly to renovate. The firm recommended against renovating Station 5 and urged the city to consider renovating and expanding Station 4 on the north side of the river or building a new station.

The report, presented by Daniel Redstone of Redstone Architects, described Station 5 as a 1965 building with a 1980s addition of about 4,900 square feet that would need extensive interior demolition and systems replacement to comply with current energy, ADA, and NFPA workflows. "Our recommendation is do not renovate Station 5," Redstone said during the presentation.

Redstone summarized the space‑needs assessment and cost options: a limited 5,000‑square‑foot renovation (not sufficient to meet full station operational requirements) at roughly $350 per square foot; a renovate‑and‑expand option (about an 8,000‑square‑foot target) with an estimated construction cost of roughly $3.4 million; and a full new build estimated near $4.0–$4.5 million. He said a modern replacement station would require roughly…