Northwood plans for new safety services building

Northwood officials are continuing to explore the idea of constructing a safety services building, with council approving spending $57,300 on a design study.

The new building would house police and fire services.

“It’s fairly obvious that due to the age of our building, the condition of the facilities and the growth of our departments that we need to start planning for something,” Fire Chief Joel Whitmore said at Thursday’s safety committee meeting.

He and Police Chief Jeffery Zahradnik initially approached council’s safety committee in the spring and did a public request for proposals. Five were received.

There were two in-person interviews in May, and they selected MW Studios “as the best firm to meet our needs,” Chief Whitmore said.

According to its website, MW Studios is a full-service architectural design firm that focuses on designing police and fire stations, libraries, schools, and community centers.

“They have extensive experience conducting similar studies and much larger projects across the country,” Chief Whitmore said.

In the area, MW Studios has done projects in Sidney, Ohio, and Perkins Township, he said.

The design study was budgeted at $65,000, so the $57,300 is under budget, Chief Whitmore said.

The study will include building and site location, opportunities to improve operational efficiencies, identifying strategies to fix those challenges, and what the facility might look like.

“And, most importantly, how much the cost might be,” he said.

They will pursue grants, state and federal appropriations, and low-interest loans.

“I think it’s important to note, this is not like we’re going to run out and build this right now. This is just a plan and we have to start planning for the future,” Chief Whitmore said. “This is step one of a thousand.”

The safety committee approved the study, and it was also later approved by the full council. Councilman Pat Huntermark was absent.

It will take 90 days to complete the study.

Administrator Kevin Laughlin said the city needs to be in a good position to apply for funding later this year.

“We want to be as nimble as possible,” he said.

In a follow-up interview, Chief Whitmore said one of the city’s two fire stations, on Wales Road, was built in 1950.

“It’s approaching 80 years old,” he said, adding that there are issues with the generators and electrical systems.

“It was initially for a volunteer fire department. We only have one bathroom in the whole fire station,” Chief Whitmore said.

The police department also has space issues and problems with a lack of “co-ed” facilities, he said.

Northwood needs two fire departments — the other one is on Tracy Road — because the city is divided by railroad tracks, he said.

The study will determine a proper spot for a safety services building, Chief Whitmore said.

“They’ll do a location study, where we see growth in 30-40 years, and what land is available,” he said.

The entire project will take three to five years, Chief Whitmore said.