New fire station at Emerald Knight site would be cheapest, estimates show

Building the city's new Central Fire Station in the 700 block of First Avenue SE, much of which once housed the Emerald Knights Drum and Bugle Corps, will cost between $616,000 and $3.1 million less than building the new facility at two other First Avenue SE sites, according to cost estimates from the city.

For that reason, Mayor Ron Corbett said on Wednesday that he will vote at the City Council's Tuesday meeting to build the new fire station on the Emerald Knights site, though, Corbett said he expected the decision of the nine-member council to take into account more than just estimated costs.

In February, the council, on a 5-4 vote, picked the 400 block of Fourth Avenue SE, now home to TrueNorth Companies, for the new library, though the site was about $4 million more expensive than the Emerald Knights site. However, the council majority thought the Fourth Avenue SE, across from Greene Square Park, was the best location for the library and the one that would best help rejuvenate the downtown.

In comments to The Gazette's editorial board on Wednesday, Corbett noted that City Council member Chuck Swore, for instance, is interested in putting the new Central Fire Station in the 600 block of First Avenue SE, now occupied by The History Center. Swore's idea, the mayor said, is to move the center to the city's Veterans Memorial Building, which will be devoting less of its space than in the past to city offices.

Council member Justin Shields, who joined Corbett at Wednesday's meeting, said he, too, liked The History Center spot best for the new fire station, but he said he was still sorting out the cost implications.

The cost figures come from the city's project manager, Ryan Companies US Inc. of Cedar Rapids.

Ryan has put the cost of building the new Central Fire Station at $22.58 million on the Emerald Knights block; $23.2 million in the 600 block of First Avenue NE, part of which houses a Taco Bell restaurant; and $25.67 million in The History Center block.

However, none of the cost figures factor in relocation expenses for any businesses on the blocks of The History Center.

The Emerald Knights and Taco Bell blocks would take commercial property off the property-tax rolls, while the block that houses the non-profit History Center would not.

Corbett talked about the sites for the Central Fire Station while talking about the City Council's plan to use local-option sales tax revenue to fill funding “gaps” in some of the city's flood-recovery building projects.

He said the council on Tuesday is expected to approve using about $4 million in the sales tax revenue to fill the gap caused by the council decision to put the library on the most costly of three sites.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency pays for land acquisition costs, but only for the least costly of three options. The city then must cover the cost difference.

Corbett said there would be no similar funding “gap” for land acquisition costs for the new Central Fire Station if the council picks the least costly site, the Emerald Knights' one.

Ryan Companies US put the land cost of the Emerald Knights site at $3.032 million; the Taco Bell block at $3.9 million; and The History Center block at $5.34 million.

Greg Eyerly, the city's flood-recovery director, estimated Wednesday that FEMA will contribute $15 million in disaster payments for the project, while the state I-JOBS Board has contributed $5 million.