Brooklyn Park Moves Forward with $40 Million Plan for New Fire Station
Brooklyn Park is moving ahead with plans to construct a new fire station at a cost of $40 million.
The Brooklyn Park City Council recently considered three design options for the new station and picked the most expensive option.
The costs for these potential designs ranged from $33 million to $40 million.
“If we’re debating back and forth about $3 or $4 million … if we’re expecting the city to grow by another 15 – 20,000 in the coming years, and we’re expecting or personally hoping, that our fire department staffing will become more in line with national standards, I think it’s better to spend the $4 to $5 million dollars now,” said Brooklyn Park City Council Member Christian Eriksen.
The new station will replace the existing Central Station.
According to Brooklyn Park Fire Chief Shawn Conway, the existing station, located near the intersection of Zane and 85th avenues, wasn’t designed to serve the needs of a 24/7 fire department.
The station doesn’t have room for any new firefighters and needs safety upgrades to reduce the risk of cancer, Conway said.
A graphic rendering shows an early design for a new Brooklyn Park fire station.
Quicker Response Times
Conway said the new station will potentially allow for quicker response times.
“Just getting to somebody’s side in a house fire not only give us an opportunity to protect life safety, which is our primary initiative, it’s followed by property conservation,” Conway said. “We want to preserve the contents of their home and property.”
Inflation has driven up the cost of the project. When it was initially proposed in 2019, the expected cost was $25 million.
The city will likely issue bonds to pay for the project. Council members generally spoke against asking voters to approve the bonding at the ballot box.
“The urgency is just, it’s huge,” said Brooklyn Park City Council Member XP Lee. “What we have to work with is unfortunately at a barely acceptable situation.”
For a homeowner with a $320,000 home, property taxes would increase $9 per month to pay for the project.
Construction is expected to start in September 2025.
See also: On Ukraine Trip, Brooklyn Park Firefighters Offer Assistance
