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Council outlines accommodations for Schultz Road fire-training site after resident meetings
Summary
Following meetings with neighbors, city staff and the fire department described aesthetic and operational steps — painting containers and driveways, neighbor-provided embellishments, one-week advance notice for live burns and controlled snow/brush disposal — to reduce impacts of a planned fire-training site on Schultz Road.
Rice Lake — Councilors and staff summarized consensus items reached with Schultz Road neighbors about the city's fire-training site and committed to several aesthetic and operational accommodations.
Staff said the city acquired the property in 2008 and later shifted intended use from a north fire hall to a fire-training facility. To address neighborhood concerns, the city agreed on measures including painting driveways a forest green color and painting the training containers a neutral gray; a local resident, Gary Lestrom, volunteered to design artistic embellishments for the containers to make them appear more like homes. Staff emphasized that firefighter safety and operational needs will guide final design, with aesthetics and budget secondary.
The fire department will provide one-week advance mailbox notices to residents before any live-burn trainings. Public works will continue to use the site for snow removed from city properties and for clean brush and ditch spoils from city work; staff said they will follow state rules and regulations regarding disposal and burning. Residents asked that gates and containers be painted consistently and requested mailbox notices in advance of burns, which staff agreed to provide.
Next steps: Chief Nimi and the neighbor volunteer will finalize aesthetic plans consistent with safety requirements; staff will continue to notify residents and follow state regulations for site use.
