By Chad Koenen

Publisher

At a time when every second counts, emergency personnel are hoping that a new fire hall expansion will be the key to providing lasting care for residents and businesses in the greater Ottertail area. Since the current fire hall is cramped on space, getting to the specialized equipment can be the difference between making a quick rescue or fire call to wasting precious seconds navigating through the cramped confines of the local fire hall that opened back in 1992. 

“We have been talking about it for several years that we knew this time was coming,” said Ottertail Fireman Tim Lueders, who has been a member of the department since the latest fire hall opened 34 years ago. “We had two empty spaces at the time for future expansion and they filled up four years ago.”

One of the latest pieces of equipment was an inflatable boat that was given to the fire department a few years ago, which now sits in-between stalls as there is not enough room to fit all of the equipment in proper spaces. 

“Everything is taking up more space,” said Lueders. “There are things in there now that we didn’t have when the fire hall was originally built.”

Unlike a number of communities in the region, Ottertail continues to grow at a fast pace as people flock to the lakes area to construct year-round houses in the small community in the central part of the county. Growth brings the need to continue looking for ways to enhance public safety, and that includes the fire and rescue department. 

As the fire and rescue equipment continues to get larger, and the need to have more equipment in general due to the overall growth in the region grows, the Ottertail City Council and members of the fire department began exploring ways to create more space for the 34-year-old fire hall. 

“It was so crowded and I think it was a general consensus we had to do something,” said Ottertail Mayor Ron Grobeck. “When we had an event like OtterFest we needed to pull everything out and it was just getting really crowded.”

While there was some sentiment to move the fire hall to Main Street, Grobeck said the cost of doing that was astronomical and could also take away valuable retail space at a time when businesses are moving to town. 

Grobeck said a 2014 city study showed that public safety remains an important topic to residents and businesses in the greater Ottertail area, which includes the fire and rescue department.

“People in Ottertail want to be safe and the David Drowns study that was dine in 2014 clearly showed that public safety was number one,” he said. 

As part of the expansion project, there will be a 40×70’ truck expansion, in addition to a 42×46’ rescue bay expansion that will include a firefighters area to house lockers and the rescue squads. The expansion will be located to the west of the current fire hall and may result in the need to construct a lift station for the facility, as well as fit under the ever-changing guidelines for FEMA and OSHA.

Grobeck, city clerk/treasurer Amanda Thorson and Lueders all said throughout the planning process the firemen, city council and local representatives wanted to have an eye for the future, without building a structure that didn’t fit with the current and future needs of the community. For example, Lueders said the current plan has two empty slots being planned into the facility, just like had been planned with the current fire hall when it was built in 1992. Local representatives also visited other fire halls in the region to get their input to see what works, what doesn’t and what they would change if they could build a new fire hall again.

“When it is all said and done we will have two empty slots just like we did in 1992 so it will give us more room for expansion,” said Lueders. 

Thorson added that as state and federal regulations change, so-to do the requirements for local fire departments and rescue squads in terms of storage and space needed to operate the emergency personnel. 

“They are tight (on space) and FEMA and OSHA keep coming back with new requirements,” said Ottertail Clerk/Treasurer Amanda Thorson. 

In the not-too-distant-past, Ottertail turned into a bit of ghost town during the winter months as snowbirds went south for the winter when the weather turned cold. That isn’t necessarily the case anymore as Lueders said more and more people are living in Ottertail year-round, which has led to an increase in calls and need for additional specialized equipment to serve the needs of the community.

In addition to residents and businesses, Lueders said the local fire department has been fortunate in receiving donated equipment and funds to help the department grow, without having to rely solely on taxpayer money.

“We have been really fortunate. Our fire department has been given tons of money from the Lions and Rod and Gun Clubs and individuals have donated on a fairly regular basis to the fire department so we have been able to upgrade our equipment. These donations have helped keep the costs away from taxpayers,” he said. 

In order to pay for the project, the city council will likely seek a bond to cover the estimated $3 million expansion project. A residential homestead property valued at approximately $350,000 would see an estimated annual property tax increase of about $150 per year for the life of the bond. 

Grobeck said one of the benefits of doing the project now is the fire department will be getting rid of some of its existing debt when the final payment for its new tanker truck is made in the near future, so while there will be a tax increase on residents and businesses for the expansion, it would be offset a bit when the existing debt comes off the books. 

Lueders said the fire department is also seeking donations to help with the project and they plan to have an information table at a number of community events to display the plans and answer any questions from the public. 

Since the Ottertail Fire and Rescue Department serves, all or a portion of, Otter Tail, Rush Lake, Leaf Lake, Amor and Otto Townships, the cost of the fire hall project will be spread out across all of the townships based upon their share of fire protection and rescue service calls by the department. 

“We are not talking about supporting just the City of Ottertail, this is supporting neighboring townships as well,” said Thorson. “The thing is if we keep putting it off it is only going to get more expensive and we need to be able to support the tax base here and if we don’t have the support for the tax base here it can affect your insurance too.”

According to a notice regarding an upcoming meeting, “the proposed fire hall expansion is intended to support the continued delivery of safe and effective emergency services throughout the entire service area.”

In order to let residents have an up-close view of the cramped space in the fire hall, and go over the project as a whole, the City of Ottertail is hosting a public hearing on Thursday, June 18 at 5:30 p.m. at the Ottertail Fire Hall/Community Center. Representatives of the Ottertail Fire Department will be on hand prior to the start of the meeting for anyone who would like to tour the facility and see its existing condition with the amount of equipment being stored at the fire hall.

“The City of Ottertail wants to be transparent and up-front with residents regarding this proposed project and its potential tax impact,” said a hearing notice release from the city. “Community members are encouraged to attend the public hearing to learn more about the proposed expansion, ask questions and tour the current fire hall to better understand the department’s space limitations and operational needs.”

Grobeck said the goal of the meeting was to present the plan that has been drafted for the fire hall expansion and see what the residents of Ottertail think about the project as a whole, before moving forward or not.

“I think we just got to a point in time where we needed to get a plan and put it in front of the public and people,” he said. “We will have some public forums where people can come in and give their input.”