City council hears funding options for municipal building

Seven months after authorizing the engineering firm Vierbicher to investigate and evaluate potential options for funding the construction of a new municipal building to house the city’s police and fire departments, the Rhinelander Common Council heard a report from the company’s planning and community development manager Andy Kurtz.

During the council’s Sept. 23 meeting, Kurtz advised the alderpersons that there are four major public funding sources available to the city —  the Community Development Block Grant program (CDBG), the USDA Rural Development program, the Congressionally Directed Spending program (also known as earmarks) and the FEMA Safe Room program.

The city is exploring the possibility of constructing a new municipal building due to the condition of the Brown Street building that has housed the fire and police department for decades. 

There are major structural issues involving the garages and roof, according to city administrator Patrick Reagan and fire chief Brian Tonnancour.

“As you may recall, City staff have been investigating the possibility of building a new municipal building to house Police and Fire,” Reagan wrote in a memo to council. “As you may further recall, this is being done as we are experiencing multiple issues with the current building, which is well over 50 years old and is, quite frankly, past its useful life. The Common Council approved an agreement with Vierbicher on February 12, 2024 (Resolution 2024-17) to work on the investigation and the implementation of a strategy to find adequate funding for this building.”

The public is encouraged to watch the entire presentation, in which Kurtz outlines all four options including application deadlines. It is available to view at www.hodagtv.com. 

Following the meeting, the River News asked Reagan to outline the next steps in the process.

“City staff will be working with Vierbicher to determine the best options for the City (with regard to not only funding options available from outside the city but also a forecast of available city resources required for any matching funds), map out a timeline for the project (also with regard to financing), and ultimately determine the best course of action for the city,” he explained. “When we have a solid plan, city staff will bring this back to the Common Council for further consideration and discussion.”

While there was originally some discussion about a new municipal building also housing the departments currently based in the City Hall building, during the meeting Reagan indicated the focus now is on police and fire only. 

“Originally we were looking at City Hall, Police and Fire (but) there’s a high price here to be paid and Fire and Police definitely need something so City Hall will sit tight as we work now,” he said.

Heather Schaefer may be reached at [email protected].