Spanish Fork city and fire department staff presented council members with a conceptual design, schedule and financing approach for a replacement Fire Station 61 during the council meeting. City staff said the proposed site is on Second West (near the city center), and described a combined administrative/apparatus/firehouse building that would be larger than a single‑company station to provide space for additional sleeping quarters and future staffing expansion.

"Right now through the design phase, we're looking at a building construction cost of, about 15, just a little over $15,000,000. And then with our soft costs . . . estimated project costs overall with everything from start to finish is, $17,900,000," a city manager explained during the presentation. The architect-provided schedule shown to the council projected bidding after design in April–May, construction May 2026 through July 2027, and occupancy/punch-list tasks in July–September 2027.

Staff and consultants discussed contingency and cost‑control choices. Cost-estimating staff explained contingencies are set aside for unforeseen conditions and are typically 10% of project construction costs; as design refines, contingency amounts typically decrease. When asked, staff said early bids on comparable station work in the current market have sometimes returned under earlier expectations, and that timing of the bid could affect the bid climate.

On financing, staff recommended bonding a portion of the work (a seven- to ten-year amortization window was discussed) rather than exhausting the city’s cash reserves. "We would recommend, an advanced payment structure maybe as fast as 7 years, but probably no longer than 10," the manager said, adding the city expects to fund debt service from existing capital project allocations without a property-tax increase.

Council members asked follow-up questions about operational advantages of the proposed location (quicker access to primary routes, safer egress at intersections compared with current Main Street mid‑block exits), the status of apparatus and personnel (staff said the city has equipment on hand to staff additional capacity and would relocate current Station 61 personnel into the new facility), and potential reuse or disposition of the current Station 61 site. Staff committed to provide additional public outreach, more detailed cost breakdowns (including the cost delta for "accordion"—expanded—quarters vs. single‑company options), and sale/reuse scenarios for the existing property.

No formal council vote was taken on the station during the meeting; staff asked council for direction and identified items to return for future council consideration.