Canton Township awards $1.98 million contract for Fire Station 4; trustees discuss staffing

Canton Township trustees voted to award bid package number 2 for Fire Station No. 4 general contractor services to Axiom Construction for $1,982,700 and approved the required budget amendment.

Director Stockline described the award as the final major step to keep the station on schedule, noting the contract covers construction, crosswalks, signals, concrete work and long‑lead equipment such as the generator and transfer switches. He said work has begun clearing the site and staff expect the station to be finished around this time next year.

Trustees praised the combination of state and federal grants that fund most of the project and noted the township will use roughly $300,000 of fire fund balance for this package. One trustee said: "I love that the expenditure is just under $2,000,000 and $1.6 million of that is coming from federal grants... I'm very, very grateful for that." Director Stockline responded, "We're excited to get going on it... they've started clearing land down there."

Board members also questioned how the township will staff the new station. Director Stockline said the department is actively recruiting; the contract requires four firefighters per outstation per shift (12 total for three shifts). He said the department currently has four vacancies and will plan to fill them by the end of this year or early next year, followed by a staffing study to confirm whether the 12 positions suffice and to assess overtime implications.

The motion to award the bid and amend the fire budget passed on a voice vote.