Council backs fire department training facility

The Sheboygan Falls Common Council gave the green light to the Sheboygan Falls Fire Department to construct a new fire and rescue training facility, during its semimonthly meeting Tuesday, Aug. 17, at the City Hall Municipal Building.

During a Public Safety Committee meeting, Assistant Fire Chief and Lead Training Officer Wade Ubbelohde and Chief Engineer Bruce Wright reviewed the plans for the training center, which will be located on the Department of Public Works grounds at 111 Hamann Drive.

“As a training officers, there is only so much we can do to simulate certain situations,” Ubbelohde said. “We’ve gone to houses and tried to simulate a house fire, but that is very difficult for us to do.

“We need to use heat, smoke and water to do a simulated fire, which can cause damage to existing houses,” he said. “Having a training facility like this is a great tool for us to expand our fire-fighting skills. By having a lot of different options for setting up the facility for certain fire situations, it will help to make our training sessions more realistic.”

The project is expected to cost $30,000, which covers building materials, construction and labor costs. Wright said the cost will be covered by the department's capital-improvement budget, which includes $15,000 from 2009 and $15,000 from 2010.

“We wanted to have the most building we could for the money, and I think we’ve done that,” Ubbelohde said. “The building will be pretty bare bones, with no plumbing or heating, which is typical for a fire training facility like this. We will have two 20-amp electrical systems though.

“When we first started looking into doing this, the total cost for our picture-perfect building came in at about $300,000,” he said. “We worked hard to cut the cost, while still getting the kind of building we need.”

Wright said the facility will be designed to replicate an actual house.

“It will be set up as an actual house with walls, rooms and furniture,” he said. “There will be other props that can be moved around to provide for different arrangements.”

Ubbelohde added that the training facility will help the department improve its ISO insurance rating.

“This will give us unbelievable tools to improve our ISO rating,” Ubbelohde said. “A good ISO rating is good for everyone – the city and local businesses alike.”

Alderman Thomas McCue questioned the lack of plumbing and heating in the building.

“Seeing this will be built on the DPW property, it would seem to me that there might be a possibility that the building could be used for some other purposes in the future,” he said. “That's why I think it would make more sense to add a bathroom, heating and a large garage door for vehicle storage, which would allow for more flexibility for future use.

“I don't know why you wouldn't put in a bathroom,” McCue said.

Department of Public Works Director Mike Mersberger said the presence of the training center would cause no immediate problems for the DPW.

“The training center won’t encroach on current DPW buildings or future building projects o the grounds,” he said. “There is plenty of room for both.

“The area north of the facility has been prepped for the future construction of pole barn for the DPW to use as storage. There are already pipes in place to have water service for the pole barn. We are planning to have a bathroom there, which will be 40 feet from the fire department training center.”

After Ubbelohde said that bathrooms are not normally included in training facilities, Public Safety Committee Chairman Duane Glancey voiced his support for the plans.

“If more elements are added to the design plan, expenses will go up and the project will get bogged down by details,” he said. “This is a good plan for a facility that will benefit our fire department and our community.”

Wright said students in a building class at Sheboygan Falls High School will be doing most of the construction work on the building. Members of the Sheboygan Falls Fire Department will do the remaining work.

“Along with the students donating time, other businesses have given us great deals on materials,” Ubbelohde said. “We've received a lot of great support from the community.”

Sight prep and concrete work for the project is scheduled to begin on Monday, Aug. 23.

During an Economic Development Committee meeting, members of the council pledged support for Sheboygan County's application for TIGER II (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) funding for the restoration of the Plymouth-to-Sheboygan Falls rail line.

If approved, the grant would cover $12 million of the $15 million cost to refurbish the currently idle 10.9-mile rail line, which has been out of service since 2005.

Mayor Randy Meyer said the remaining $2.4 million would be covered by the state, with local municipalities covering the remaining $600,000.

Meyer noted that Bemis Manufacturing Co., which would be a major beneficiary of the line, has expressed a willingness to pay $100,000 toward the cost.

In addition, Plymouth Mayor Don Pohlman attended the meeting to announce the city of Plymouth’s support for the project.

“Our council has voted to support the grant and to offer financial support,” he said. “That most likely will be split with Sheboygan Falls, or $300,000 each.

“This is a unique opportunity to facilitate a railroad corridor that will be beneficial for both cities growing together in the future.”

The state of Wisconsin recently purchased the line, through a lease agreement with Wisconsin and Southern Railroad.

Meyer said the grant application, which will be submitted by Sheboygan County through the Sheboygan County Economic Development Corp., was due Monday, Aug. 23.

During the regular Common Council meeting, the council approved a new salary ordinance and confirmed the hiring of Jessica Roehrborn to fill the confidential secretary No. 1 position with the Sheboygan Falls Police Department.

The Council also granted a school/travel request for Craig Plehn to attend the 2010 Wisconsin Narcotics Officers’ Association Annual Training Conference in Green Bay.

Operator-license applications were approved for Sandra Ann Bryson-Fischer and Brenda Schwab. An electrical journeyman license renewal was granted for Allen Fleisner. A temporary Class B retailer's license was approved for Blessed Trinity Parish's Celtic Festival.

The council approved a tree-planting bid from TDN Tree Services to plant 12 trees this fall at River Park, at a cost of $2,430. The tree-planting project is covered through the city's forestry grant.

The council also backed a tree-removal bid from TDN Tree Services to remove damaged trees from River Park at a cost not to exceed $9,750.

City Clerk-Treasurer Joel Tauschek announced the details of the state electronics recycling law, which goes into effect Sept. 1.

Representatives of Word of Grace Community Church in Sheboygan Falls appeared before the council to announce plans for a 5K run/walk to be held Saturday, Oct. 16, in downtown Sheboygan Falls.

The event will start and end at Word of Grace Community Church at 837 Buffalo Street. It will begin at 9 a.m. and run for approximately 45 minutes.

The next Sheboygan Falls Common Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 7, at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at the City Hall Municipal Building.