By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer

SUAMICO – After meeting in closed session Monday, Nov. 2, the village board voted 5-1 to approve the sale of the current Fire Station No. 1 property to Base Companies, LLC, for $350,000.

Trustee Michelle Eckert cast the lone dissenting vote with Trustee Dan Roddan abstaining.

Village Administrator Alex Kaker said Base Companies, located in the Rail Yard Innovation District in Green Bay, intends on opening a brewery and music hall on the fire station property at 1745 Riverside Dr. later in 2021.

Kaker said the sale’s closing date is currently set for April 1, but may change depending on progress for constructing the new Fire Station No. 1 being built at the intersection of West Deerfield Lane and Riverside Drive.

The village this summer sought proposals for interested buyers to submit a business plan to outline their proposed use for the current Fire Station No. 1 parcel, which was appraised at $325,000 in 2018.

Conditions of the sale required the developer to enter into an acceptable development agreement with the village, prior to closing on the property, with the village’s attorney costs related to drafting the agreement being reimbursed by the developer.

The village’s listing stated the exiting building is approximately 5,520 square feet with four drive-through vehicle bays.

Brown County property records list the current Fire Station No. 1 site as having .587 acres.

The new Fire Station No. 1 site has 1.9 acres, where the building under construction, which is scheduled for completion early next year, will have more than 20,000 square feet with two stories and six apparatus bays.

Allotment change

In other action, the board approved a $30,000 increase in the allotment for furniture, fixtures and equipment in the new Fire Station No. 1 and offset that with a $30,000 decrease for the building’s fiber optics, data, low voltage cabling, etc.

Kaker said he requested the transfer primarily because of a higher cost than anticipated for classroom information technology equipment, while bids the village received for projects related to fiber optics, data, low voltage cabling, etc., were substantially lower than estimated.

The board May 4 initially approved allotting up to $320,040 for the new station’s furniture, fixtures and equipment and $125,000 for fiber optics, data, low voltage cabling, etc.