Council, staff haggle over new public works building

FORT MADISON – The phases to consolidate the city’s public works departments into at least one new facility drew heavy conversation at Tuesday night’s regular City Council meeting.
Fort Madison Public Works Director Mark Bousselot presented the council with an update on construction plans for a 15,000 square foot facility that will house much of the equipment being moved from the outdated current facility off Avenue L.
The new Fort Madison Fire Department is planned for construction in the same area and requires that some of the current public works buildings be demolished. City Councilman Matt Emmett said several of those buildings are being held up “by the styrofoam insulation” and new space for the city’s equipment is needed.
Bousselot proposed two phases for the consolidation. Initially they looked at one new location for the entire department near the airport, but that option wasn’t feasible with airport regulations or cost.
City staff then looked at six existing warehouse type properties in town and said the cost of renovations and acquisition exceeded budgeted funding.
“So we're looking at a design of phase one which is, more or less, a storage facility. It's 15,000 square feet that'll store our vehicles and supplies and it's 100% designed and ready to go out to bid,” Bousselot said.
He said the building, which is planned to be located in the 2100 block of Avenue M west of the Fort Madison Community Schools' Central Office, is designed to allow vehicles to drive thru instead of having to back out.
He said phase 2 would be extending the building to the east with modifications into the water distribution building. He said that would fully consolidate the public works department.
The Phase 1 building is estimated at $1.9 million.
City Manager Laura Liegois said that amount is doable with current funding in the department, but the city could consider a small bond if other factors come into play. She said the city budgeted $2 million for the building.
“We have we found out in designing this, other things we had to do to have that size of a building. We had to put it in sprinkler protection, we had to put in drainage, and we had to address stormwater,” she said.
“If we were today to fund this, yes we have resources in the public works department  budget that could make this happen.”
Liegois said, however, that the city is planning for additional capital improvements and a “small bond” may be appropriate toward the cost of the building to allow some other smaller projects to be completed.
Bousselot said the timeline is to get the project out to bid and plan to open those on Sept. 2. A public hearing and award of contract is set for the Sept. 16 council meeting and Sept. 29 construction would start on phase 1.
He said one building that needs to come down for the future Fire Department would be left up over the winter and be taken down in March with a building completion of May 4. The Fire Department would start in March or April of 2026.
Bousselot said the phase 1 building wouldn’t be enough for full consolidation.

“It’s a garage. It’s not providing any locker room space, bathrooms, breakroom area. Phase 2 would be looking at renovating the exiting water distribution site to accommodate making it usable for 30 to 40 people.”
Councilman Rusty Andrews said Bousselot won’t know how much space he has in the first building until he gets equipment moved in. Andrews said he’s not convinced Bousselot needs the additional 10,000 square feet allocated in phase 2.
“15,000 square feet of new building, under roof, heat, concrete floor, floor drains, giant fans, lighting. It is a wonderful building. You’re going to tear down a 4,500 square foot lean-to with a gravel floor. That’s your trade,” Andrews said.
“It just makes me keep asking how that is equal. To say that there needs to be a phase 2, I’m with you, I’ll take it the whole way, but if were not using the first one, I’ve got a hard time building the second one. Maybe you just can’t picture it yet. Once it’s built and you’re in there and I’m on the other end of the building and you can’t see me, you’ll realize how big it is.”
Andrews said then the department will learn to park some trucks in there and use it as a public works facility and not just a “storage facility”.
He said both lean-tos and every shed and overhang at the current location is also about 15,000 feet.
“It needs to be built, it’s the start to getting the fire station done, but there’s a long way to go on how to utilize that building,” Andrews said.
Andrews was on the task force that helped formulate the plans for the public works department facilities and the new fire station.
Liegois said she wished Andrews had made his stance more clear during the task force meetings. Andrews said he’s been pushing that concern all along.
“We have this building ready to go out for bid. We are at the time for bids to go out and I wanna be respectful to your opinion, but we talked about these things and it was brought up to do the presentation. We are far from any additional phases, but we just need to get this building up,” Liegois said.
“We’ve been kum-ba-ya’n together since November on these discussions in lots of way and I don’t want to feel like the staff has led you down a path and I don’t think we have. If this wasn’t a direction you thought was right, Rusty, I wish we would’ve had that discussion further.”
Andrews said none of his concerns attack the planning that was done.
“It’s a great dollar figure, 15,000 square feet is a great building. What we’re voting on today is a great deal.  We can only hope that bids come in lesser than engineering estimates.”
Councilman Rick Thiele said the city needs to get the first building up to see where they are at and then reset plans for phase 2.
Bousselot said he agrees that there will be “dead space” where other equipment can go, but the department needs to get in the building to see what will happen.
“But you’re absolutely right. If we’re not using the whole 15,000 square feet in phase 1, why would we put up another 10,000 feet. I think we’d all agree to that,” Bousselot said.