The renovation of Shorewood's firehouse will move forward thanks to lower-than-expected construction bids

The renovation of the Shorewood fire station will move forward, thanks to construction bids that came in well under budget.

Shorewood officials and the North Shore Fire Department had agreed the fire department's total costs could not exceed $4.1 million. The projected cost estimate was $3.95 million, which would include $2.65 million for construction, $500,000 to purchase the building from the village and other soft costs. 

With the low bid provided by Absolute Construction, the total project costs would come to $3.19 million, according to a memo from Village Manager Rebecca Ewald. That's $759,000 less than originally estimated.

The village board had tense discussions over the last two years about the renovations of the firehouse, which was expected to cost $500,000 more than building a new structure. NSFD Fire Chief Robert Whitaker had originally preferred to demolish and rebuild, due to the lower cost estimates and because the fire department only occupied 9,000 square feet in the 17,700-square-foot building.

All five of the bids opened Sept. 10 came in significantly under the $2.65 million budgeted for construction.

The lowest bid, $1.88 million, came from Absolute Construction, which is in the process of remodeling Glendale City Hall. Absolute Construction has not officially won the contract yet, as a number of requirements still need to be met.

The firehouse renovation project has received all of the necessary village approvals. Village officials have approved an updated survey map, various easements and a deed restriction to preserve the facade. 

The NSFD Board will consider approving a construction contract at its Oct. 8 meeting. The board will also decide at that meeting whether it will spend an additional $92,000 for solar panels on the building.

Since NSFD is not able to bond for the projects, the village of Whitefish Bay will borrow on its behalf. All seven North Shore communities must agree to repayment of the Whitefish Bay bonds.

The Shorewood Village Board is expected to consider selling the fire station and the land to NSFD in October.

All of the paperwork is expected to be finished by the end of the year. Construction would begin shortly thereafter.

Renovation details

The firehouse will mostly appear the same from the outside, aside from new garage doors, a new public entrance and a small addition toward the rear of the building. The brick facade will also be cleaned.

Whitaker said the new red garage doors resemble the doors found in early pictures of the building. The doors are bi-fold, meaning they part from the middle and fold to either side —  a design that is more durable and faster to open than a traditional garage door, he said.

The glass doors will also allow daylight into the firehouse, and allow the community a chance to look inside.

"It's a much better look and feel from an operational standpoint and an aesthetic standpoint," he said.

The public entrance will move from the front of the building to the south side of the building, closer to Shorewood Village Hall.

Whitaker said the front entrance was moved to improve the flow of the building. The current front entrance is flanked by garages on both sides, so pushing the public entrance to the south side of the building would provide a straight hallway from the sleeping quarters to the garages.

The new public entrance will be accessed by a new brick walkway that would be laid between the fire station and village hall.

The existing parking stalls in that area will be removed, making room for turf on either side of the brick walkway. The area behind village hall will also receive new landscaping, such as rain gardens, shrubs and other vegetation.

On the north side of the building, a garage will be demolished to make room for additional parking stalls

The new building will also include a 417-square-foot apparatus addition on the northeast corner of the building.

On the inside, construction crews will completely renovate the first floor, which was previously shared by the fire department and the Shorewood Police Department. 

In addition to a new interior layout, the renovation will also include a new boiler, electrical system, air conditioning system and information technology infrastructure.

The second floor will be used for storage and for boilers, air conditioning and other building mechanicals.

Contact Jeff Rumage at (262) 446-6616 or jeff.rumage@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffRumage or Facebook at www.facebook.com/northshorenow.