BOSCOBEL - With an overflow crowd of volunteer firefighters looking on, Boscobel’s common council voted on July 10 to give the Boscobel & Rural Fire District eight acres of city-owned land in the industrial park.

The gift, valued at $96,000, is contingent on the city having first crack at the old fire station, should the district find funding for a new facility.

The decision came after some confusion and lengthy discussion about the number of lots and the value of the existing station.

Boscobel’s planning commission had recommended granting just six acres, which is the footprint of the existing architectural rendering of the proposed fire station. But the fire district board had already voted to swap the old station for eight acres—with two extra held in reserve for expansion down the road.

“The fire board agreed to transfer our fire station for eight acres,” said Fire Chief Hershel Marks. “This change would have to go back to the fire board, and they would have to accept it, and if they don’t, it’s pretty much going to be a dead issue.”

The 14-member fire district board draws members from all the municipalities included in the fire district. In addition to the City of Boscobel, which puts up 50 percent of the district’s budget, the area includes the towns of Watterstown, Haney, Marietta, Hickory Grove, Marion, Scott, Steuben, Woodman, and the Town of Boscobel.

Gift horse?

Some council members seemed skeptical of the value of the old fire station. At previous meetings, it’s been raised as a possible shop space for the street department. Other ideas floated at the July 10 meeting included using it as overflow rental space for the Tuffley Center, or some other revenue generating purpose.

“How does that building fit into our needs as a city,” asked board chair Brian Kendall. “We’re getting a building and we’re hoping to match things in there to what we need—or not.”

The fire district budgets $11,000 annually for utilities, according to secretary/treasurer Paul Beck, who spoke at the meeting. Other expenses include insurance. A tax-exempt property, the existing station not been formally assessed, but it is insured for a value of $1.98 million, according to Assistant Chief Travis Dregne.

The district recently replaced the roof and the furnace, and problems with the foundation settling have been addressed, he said.

“It’s not that the building doesn’t have value, it’s just no longer serving us the way we would like it to,” he said. Mainly, he said, the bays are too small to accommodate modern equipment.

Still, City Engineer/Director of Public Works Mike Reynolds urged the council to consider the additional expense. “If the council agrees to this deal, then they’re taking on more expense,” he commented. “They’re giving up some industrial park for additional expense.”

Ultimately, the council crafted a resolution that keeps their options somewhat open. They granted the full eight acres for a new station, contingent on the district finding the funding, and the council getting first dibs on the building, as well as a smaller neighboring shed, if they decide they want it.

That vote passed on a unanimous roll call, with alders Gary Kjos and Steve Fritz, who sit on the fire district board, abstaining.

No forever chemicals

City Engineer/Director of Public Works Reynolds reported to the council that the city water is clean of PFAS—the toxic “forever chemicals” used in everything from fast-food wrappers to non-stick cookware.

This news comes on the heels of a U.S. Geological Survey study released last week that estimates that up to 45 percent of the nation’s tap water is contaminated. The study tested more than 700 locations across the country and concluded that urban areas are more likely to face PFAS pollution.

Mysteriously, Reynolds reported that a reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had contacted him after an anonymous Boscobelian sent in a water sample containing the contaminants.

“She wouldn’t tell me who submitted it—it could have been anyone, or someone in the town, or just with a Boscobel address,” he said. “But I’m going to make sure I send that results sheet to that lady.”

Other business

The council also approved:

Bids for the 2023 streets improvement project, after learning that the bid for the gutters and curbs came in at $54,280, significantly over the estimate of $35,520, which is significant as property owners are on tap to pay half the cost. Reynolds negotiated a reduction in the bid from Augelli Concrete & Excavating from Richland Center. The new cost for property owners will be $10 a foot, not $8 as estimated.

Licenses for food truck Capelle’s Cuisine and door-to-door salesman Roy Clancy, who is selling educational materials.