By NATE KING
Salina Post
On Monday, Salina City commissioners entered an agreement with Kansas City-based firm WSKF Architects for design and professional services for the relocated Fire Station Four. The contract listed WSKF's service cost for Phase II at $629,120.
"The relocation and rebuilding of Fire Station Four has been included in the City's long-range capital improvement plan since 2014 or maybe even before then," said Jason Wood, Deputy City Manager.
Phase One of the project, completed by WSKF, includes:
● Space programming
● Schematic Design (selection of furniture, fixtures and equipment)
● Development approval services (survey, platting/zoning, drainage study)
● Cost estimates
During the meeting, commissioners agreed to move forward with Phase Two of the project to relocate and replace the firehouse currently located at 669 Briarcliffe Road to its new location at Crawford St. and Markley Road.
With the completion of Phase One, for $147,760, WSKF begins Phase Two, which includes the following key items:
● Architectural Design for design development
● Construction Documents
● Bidding/Negotiations of the project
● Construction Administration
● Post Occupancy services, including warranty monitoring
The 2020 budget detailed an initial estimated project cost of about $5 million. In 2021, the city added the project to the 2022-2026 capital improvement plan at the same price. When city staff began creating the preliminary design, they recognized that due to the time that had passed since the original estimates, the project would be closer to $10 million.
Commissioner Hoppock said he felt "sticker shock" after seeing the increase in the overall project cost.
"Obviously, it's a little bit of a sticker shock as to where we were when we started," Hoppock said. "We can have a philosophical discussion about, would it [project costs] be more or would it be less in a year or two because of the demand for construction right now."
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According to WSKF Architect Doug Boe, the project is estimated to cost $479 per square foot, which aligns with the cost per square foot of similar projects that WSKF has completed.
"The range for square footage is actually a real reasonable range from what we're seeing," Boe said. " It depends on which market. Kansas City runs a little higher, typically per square foot."
Boe said that in the post-pandemic world, rising construction costs over the past three years are starting to level out but not decreasing.
City of Salina documents note that Garden City recently approved the construction of a similar fire station for $465 per square foot.
Toward the end of 2023, Salina Arts & Humanities staff and the Community Art and Design Committee began working with Fire Department leadership by establishing a site committee to advise on the possible locations of the new fire station and the functions of art and design elements.
The site committee members are neighborhood residents, project stakeholders, firefighters, a representative liaison from the Community Art & Design Advisory Committee and architects with WSKF.
In an effort to keep costs at a reasonable level, in Dec. of 2023, the site committee determined that it could make design modifications to reduce the project's overall cost.
Areas reduced in size include:
● The classroom-style training room
● Eliminating a display area for an antique fire truck
● The data room
● Some living space
The reductions resulted in a schematic design and a construction cost of approximately $9.4 million. Wood provided reasons for why the site committee decided to make reductions to the training room.
"The city has many facilities that can host classroom-style training," Wood said. "It's not like training space out on a ladder or a tower or anything like that. So, for a million dollars, the city has a lot of other training places that we could go to for that."
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In the 2024 budget, city finance office staff included debt financing for this $10 million, or $402,000 annually, project supported by the current property tax levy.
City staff also recommended to commissioners that an additional $1 million be added to the project to account for the increased cost, making the project's total cost $11 million.
Staff believes the current mill levy could finance the additional $1 million debt, $75,000 annually; however, if more levied property tax is needed, the annual cost of approximately $75,000 per year would be an additional .14 mills
Possible public art at Fire Station Four
In 2007, the City of Salina adopted a community art and design policy. This policy was last updated in 2019 and included guidelines for art and design elements for selected capital improvement projects.
"When we started with the community art design approach, there was a presumption that pretty much every project would get 5 percent of the project dedicated to the arts," said Mike Schrage, Salina City Manager. "There's been very few, and for quite some time, we've identified the fire station as kind of a community amenity that needs to show well, not to say that this design doesn't do that, but I think there was kind of a recognition of being selective about which projects to attach community art to."
Brad Anderson, executive director for Salina Arts and Humanities, informed commissioners about a stand-alone art option.
"In this process of discovery, with WSKF and with the site committee, being both respectful of limited budgets and so on, to put a $400,000 amount on there sounds exorbitant, especially when there are value engineering decisions that have been made," Anderson said. "This is meant to be an opportunity for you [commissioners] to make an informed decision of what percentage, if you choose to include any art and design component with this, that's your prerogative, and if so, to be able to let you know what a $400,000 component might mean, as opposed to something smaller."
As the project continues into the subsequent phases, Anderson said with 4.5 percent of the overall budget, the site committee could provide commissioners with additional direction.
"We'd be able to, with your direction, say we're really interested in a standalone 'beacon of peace' on the eastern edge of town," Anderson said.
A standalone art piece isn't the only option available. Anderson said previous capital projects, like the Salina Fieldhouse, have integrated artwork into the overall project design.
"We've been able to work very successfully with architects and designers over the years with a smaller budget," Anderson said. "The Fieldhouse as an example. I think we were allotted up to $170,000 or so we were able to help meet a need of the architects to create some shade for that building with an integrated piece of art and design that also served a function that was part of the budget for construction already."
Salina Vice-Mayor Greg Lenkiewicz said although he is a fan of art, his mindset on this issue is more pragmatic.
"This is a public safety facility. It's going to be a flagship facility for quite a while," Greg said. "I just would hate to see 10 years from now, we look back and forth on this [and decide] that we didn't do more. I like the art concept, and I'm not saying I'm completely against it — it's just that I feel my mindset is a little bit more pragmatic when it applies to a public safety department."
Salina Fire Chief Tony Sneidar, who joined Monday's meeting via Zoom, said he and other Salina firefighters support the desire to include public art.
"Arts and Humanities, the city folks, and the site committee that is involved in these discussions, as well as more than a couple of firefighters, one being myself and two others, we believe, as Mr. Anderson is right, this is going to be a gateway into Salina. We feel that it should be somewhat impactful to say, 'This is Salina' this isn't just the Salina Fire Department."
"We're happy to have both the site committee and Crystal Hammerschmidt on our staff lead that effort with the architects and designers to say, 'City Commission is authorizing this amount of money with a desire for us to integrate art and design elements into the architecture of the facility that would make both citizens proud that firefighters to see their values reflected and for you all to give the direction you need in terms of your tolerance for the budget," Anderson said.
Wood informed commissioners they could decide whether to approve the $11 million project and revisit the amount allocated for artwork later.
"All of this is going to have to come back to you [the commission] before final approval. I don't think there's any way we're going to sneak some art by you without it being brought back for your consideration," Schrage said.
Salina City Commissioners voted 5-0 to approve the project. According to a schedule provided by WSKF, construction will begin in the Fall of 2024 and be completed in early 2026.