The anticipated August groundbreaking for the new Westby-Christiana Fire Station was delayed after the taxpayer-based organization hit a political snag. The Westby-Christiana Fire Department received a special order compliance letter, on August 8, from the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development in Madison requesting proof that workers hired to construct the new fire station would be earning state prevailing wages, comparable to other construction projects completed in the same trade area.

The special requirement forced the fire district to request written proof of wages being paid to the employees of the companies who were already awarded the construction bids. Schroeder Construction from Sparta was awarded the construction bid at a cost of $346,276. Schroeder Construction together with architect Brian Kortbein from Cornerstone Architects of Tomah, are jointly working as general contractors for the Westby project. Bahr Electric of West Salem had the winning electrical bid of $26,388 and Schneider Plumbing and Heating of Richland Center was awarded the HVAC and plumbing job with a combined bid of $64,064. Mathy Construction will provide the paving at a cost of $30,911 and the fire district is handling tree stump and top soil removal.

After a review of wages was performed and resubmitted to the state the fire district was informed that the cost of the project would increase by $32,000, in order to bring the accepted bids in compliance with state prevailing wages. State prevailing wages are required for any project funded with taxpayer money.

“Let’s just bite the bullet, pay the money and get this project moving,” Westby mayor and volunteer fireman Dan Jefson said.

The Westby-Christiana Fire District was formed in 2001. The district is a joint venture between the city of Westby and the town of Christiana, where fire department volunteers provide fire protection to both areas, and is funded jointly from the two governmental bodies. The city of Westby provides two-thirds of the fire department's operational budget, while the town of Christiana provides the remaining one-third.

Having recently received the blessing of both the city of Westby and the town of Christiana boards to move forward with the project the fire district opted not to return to the taxpayer pool to fund the additional required money. Instead, the district elected to borrow $25,000 from the department’s truck fund and utilize sales tax savings made through the direct purchase of building materials, with an estimated savings of $10,000.

According to the fire district board if materials purchased directly for the taxpayer-based project are purchased through city of Westby and town of Christiana accounts any products purchased for the fire station would be tax exempt, providing the additional $10,000 needed to cover the workforce development compliance request.

The fire district does not currently need any additional vehicles, with its recent purchase of a brush truck and the new fire engine two years ago. Turn-key construction is now calculated at $467,639, plus the additional $32,000 workforce development requirement. The fire district budget will now cover approximately $135,000 of the anticipated building costs with the remaining funds coming from the city and township.

Fire district representative Mike Fremstad questioned the wage rates calculated by the state for the immediate area, personally believing the calculated costs were above and beyond what is truly paid out in Vernon County.

“We’ve been so frugal and tried so hard to save the taxpayer money. Now the state is forcing us to spend more money. It doesn’t seem right, but it’s the law,” Fremstad said.

Groundbreaking for the new building was initially planned for Aug. 4, with a completion date of on or before Dec. 15. The fire station will be located between Hansen’s IGA and Dollar General. The building will have a 36 x 24 meeting room and parking lot on the west side of the building. A five-bay vehicle housing area will provide space for fire district vehicles and the Westby First Responders.

With 24 volunteer firefighters, the department has struggled for years with the confined space problems, which escalated when the fire district purchased a new fire engine and only inches to spare on each side of the garage door openings. Safety issues have also been a major concern of Westby-Christiana Fire Chief Monte Torgerson, who fears the increased traffic load on Main Street in Westby placed his department in imminent danger when they leave the building on Melby Street and have to enter the highway.

It was also decided that if the combined efforts of the city and township to complete some of the site dirt preparation failed and they needed to secure outside services to complete the project, the decision should be placed with the discretion of the fire district and would not require additional board meetings to approve the action.