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Fire-station project advances; township lists groundbreaking and plans cost-saving site work
Summary
Officials reported the fire department responded to 316 incidents in March, design plans for the new station are about 70% complete, and the township plans to use in-house road-department labor for dirt work to reduce costs; minutes record two different dates for the groundbreaking (May 29 and June).
Fire Chief Chad Lady presented the monthly fire-department report, saying the department responded to 316 incidents in March and that the week of March 15 produced 48 calls across structure, grass, medical and false-alarm responses. Chief Lady said the Shawnee County Wildland Task Force deployed two firefighters and a brush truck to Riley County; the township expects state reimbursement for apparatus and personnel. The department's annual pancake feed drew about 1,500 participants and produced $7,800 in donated funds.
On the new fire station, Chief Lady reported design plans were approximately 70% complete and scheduled to reach 100% by the week of April 17. Chief Lady told the board that the groundbreaking was "still scheduled for June of 2026." Administrator Audree Guzman also reported progress on site work and permitting and said the Road Department has completed tree removal and will coordinate most dirt work to reduce subcontractor costs. Guzman listed a Fire Station Groundbreaking Ceremony on Friday, May 29 at 11:00 a.m. The minutes therefore record two different references to the scheduled groundbreaking: Chief Lady referenced June 2026 while Administrator Guzman listed May 29, 2026. The minutes do not resolve that discrepancy; meeting records should be consulted to confirm the final ceremony date before scheduling or public notices.
Guzman additionally said the township will transition from Google to a fully cloud-based Microsoft platform beginning in July to avoid the need to replace the existing server (estimated replacement cost approximately $30,000) and to improve online functionality; the rollout will be implemented by Keyes Consulting. Road Superintendent John Tipton noted the Road Department will perform most dirt work for the station to generate cost savings compared with the KBS subcontractor estimate.
Next steps recorded in the minutes include permitting for dirt work (expected by the end of April) and continued design completion. The board listed the next regular meeting for May 12, 2026, at 12:15 p.m.
