Council hears plan to speed new Cherry Street firehouse by temporarily relocating apparatus

Designers from Shive Hattery told the North Liberty City Council on March 10 that temporarily relocating the fire department during construction would allow the project to be built in a single phase, creating a larger, modern station and shortening the timeline.

Natalie Opendal, architect at Shive Hattery, said the mirrored floor plan allows more apparatus bays than earlier phased plans. "We could save 6 months in the construction time of the project," said Andrew Avara, the project manager and fire‑station specialist with Shive Hattery, summarizing a key tradeoff the design team identified. The plan would add drive‑through capacity — the team said up to seven bays compared with the two previously possible — and keep public parking and access largely unchanged during construction.

City staff described complementary additions at the parks building and the water maintenance shop that would temporarily house equipment and storage to support the fire‑station move. City Administrator Ryan explained the logic for staging: moving some functions temporarily reduces construction phasing and overall disruption. Council members pressed for clarifications about where personnel would be housed during the temporary move, and the design team said they expect one temporary dormitory unit and Connex storage for equipment.

The presentation also included a high‑level schedule: schematic design is near completion, the city plans a Construction Manager at‑Risk (CMAR) solicitation, and staff expects to proceed into bidding and construction within the next 12–18 months if timelines hold. Council and staff emphasized minimizing long‑term overbuilding of the temporary facilities so they remain useful for parks or water maintenance after the fire department returns.