Lutsen Fire Chief Paul Goettl brought five preliminary drawings showing how to expand or build a new fire hall to the Lutsen Town Board at its Sept. 21 meeting. Goettl said some of the drawings were a year old, and some were new.
The board has asked Goettl to lead the way as it looks at improving its existing structures to keep up with expansion of the township and the fire department. The fire garage in back is going on 40 years old, and the “new” structure is now 20 years old.
“We have a good group of people [firefighters] who need more space to train,” Goettl told the board. “We need a better facility to better serve our community,” Goettl told the board.
As an example, Goettl said that the sheriff has talked about giving the township a boat, snowmobile or four-wheeler, “but we have no place to store this equipment.”
Supervisor Diane Parker said she liked the plans but told Goettl, “Don’t be afraid of making it your dream garage. We can always pare it [the plan] down.”
Parker and several other board members suggested adding a kitchen to the plan and making the meeting space at least twice as big as the current space.
“This building is 20 years old and we have already outgrown it. This area is only going to get bigger as more people move here. The fire department is a very important part of this expansion,” said Parker.
Supervisor Marland Hansen said, “We need a plan for the whole property. This isn’t bad, but let’s get it laid out in a master plan. Thisis a good start.”
So far the township has set aside $10,000 a year in a building fund for the fire hall. By next year the fund will contain $80,000, said Goettl.
Preliminary figures, some of them one year old, suggest that it would take about $150,000 to get a bigger, better structure, said Goettl.
“But, it depends upon what kind of building we put up. Will it be a Morton building? Will it include an office? A kitchen? Room for more fire trucks?”
West End County Commissioner Bruce Martinson encouraged the township to approach the county about getting a loan to expand the fire department. “The county has never turned down granting a zero percent loan for a fire department,” he said.
After some discussion the board agreed that a citizen committee should be formed and suggestions taken to get the building that would best fit the fire department and the town’s needs.
Supervisor Joe Buttweiler was asked by Parker if the park memorial bench and sign dedicated to the late Connie Ross Sutherland was going to be installed this year as planned.
“No. I will make sure it gets done next spring,” said Buttweiler, adding that he had just received information that day on the project.
In other action, the board voted to renew the liquor license for Clearview Liquor Store, Clearview General Store, Lockport Marketplace and Lutsen Resort.
EMS Director Fred Schmidt voiced his concern that schoolchildren being left at the fire hall and then picked up by the school bus were, in his opinion, at risk of injury or worse.
“Something should really be done before someone gets hurt here,” Schmidt told the board.
Kids tend to play in the front and the back of the building, said Schmidt, and if there is a fire or some other commotion where vehicles enter and leave the premise in a hurry, someone could get injured.
The board agreed with Schmidt and it was decided to ask the school district to use the church parking lot as a dropoff and pick-up area for kids. Goettl was instructed to call School District 166 principal Gwen Carman with the board’s suggestion.
“As fire chief, you should have some pull,” said Hansen.
“Thanks,” said a chagrined Goettl, who agreed to make the call.
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