Platteville Fire Facility Concept And Location Determined

With guidance and support from the Platteville Fire Chief, contracted architect, contracted construction manager, fire district township-partners, fund raising support team, and our facility guidance team, the City of Platteville has decided on a concept and location for the new Platteville Fire Facility.

Our current fire station has served the community well for six decades, but lacks many modern safety features and the size necessary to house larger emergency responder vehicles. Over the decades, our volunteer firefighters have dedicated themselves to protecting our community, often working with
exacerbated challenges due to the limitations of our aging station.  The lack of decontamination facilities, proper air ventilation and ample off-street responder parking are a few of the current added dangers impacting our fire-fighters and their families.

This journey of arriving at a new facility comes with many challenges.  The community has brought forward many thoughtful opinions, preferences, ideas, suggestions, and visions regarding the concept and location of the facility. Many of our community members have devoted countless hours in plan support and several have invested significant monetary contributions in paying for preliminary studies.  The common themes that have been observed through these conversations are: 1) Safety of our firefighters is paramount, 2) Response times are key, 3) Aesthetics show community pride, and 4) A desire for a solution that will serve the community for many decades to come.  Unfortunately, all of these very important themes must match with limited financial resources.  Finding that balance is what Platteville City Manager Clinton Langreck  hoped would be accomplished through a very deliberate decision process, stretching over several months.

In our pursuit of improving our facilities, we have explored various options. Extensive research, community input and expert input laid the foundation for our decision-making process. The options that have been explored range from renovating the existing facility, to renovating the former O.E. Gray school, to constructing a new state-of-the-art fire facility (with multiple sites considered along the way).

The City of Platteville, and supporting partners, have carefully weighed the pros and cons of each concept and location, considering factors such as cost, efficiency, and the ability to meet future demands. On October 10, 2023, the Platteville City Council took action to move forward with a single-story concept, at an anticipated expense  between $14-$14.5 million, placed on the site of the decommissioned O.E. Gray School. This option was heavily recommended by fire district partners and fire fighting professionals.

With the concept and location decided, the City Manager, Fire Chief and facility guidance team will begin working with the architect and construction manager on schematic design, design development, and construction documents to release for bidding. There are many more decision points to cross and many more obstacles to overcome. As we move through this process, we hope to do our best to make theinformation available for community feedback and support. This project is a community investment, providing our firefighters with the resources they need and demonstrating our commitment to their mission of protecting lives and property.

Platteville Fire Chief Ryan Simmons commented, "The Platteville Fire Department and its volunteer firefighters are again amazed by our community, community leaders, and our fire district partners for their continued support of the fire department and this project. A new fire facility has been in many community discussions over the past decade, and it is great to see all the partners come together to move this project forward, so that we can continue to respond to the needs of our citizens by providing rapid, professional, humanitarian services essential to the health, safety, and well-being of our community.  2024 will mark the 150th anniversary of volunteer fire service in the City of Platteville and what better way to celebrate than a groundbreaking for a new facility."

To learn more about the Platteville Fire Facility project, please visit www.platteville.org/fire. To stay up- to-date with plans for the Fire Department Sesquicentennial Celebration, visit the "Platteville Fire Department's 150th Celebration" Facebook page.