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Staff writer

To provide a more conducive environment for learning, Ham Lake Fire Chief Don Krueger said Fire Station No. 1 needs a new, larger training room.

“Training is a very important part of how we keep firefighters safe and trained to do the job we ask them to do,” Krueger said. “Having a training environment conducive to learning is very important.”

Public Works Superintendent Tom Reiner said the public works building also has space needs, but how much should be built is yet to be determined.

The Ham Lake City Council Oct. 19 asked city staff to obtain an architectural services proposal from Ham Lake’s own Lampart Architects for a 2,000 to 2,500 square-foot training room addition at the northwest corner of Fire Station No. 1. The council will also consider renovation needs.

The council also approved city staff seeking requests for proposals for a needs study for the public works department. This needs study would look at what the space needs of the public works department would be decades from now and whether the existing facility could be renovated or if it should be scrapped in favor of a new facility.

Fire station

The new fire station training room with a seating capacity of 50 would be double the size of the current training room at Fire Station No. 1.

The new training room addition, which would come with new bathrooms and a kitchen, would also serve as the city’s emergency operations center. Additional computers would not be stored here, but the facility would be wired and ready in case the room was needed in an emergency situation, Krueger said.

The goal is to turn the existing training room into a fitness room. What would happen to the kitchen and bathrooms has not been determined, Krueger said.

Other possible renovation projects at Fire Station No. 1 are replacing the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, upgrading lighting, improving the exhaust system, converting the two overhead doors on the south side of the building to three overhead doors, replacing the three overhead doors with better insulated doors, improving exterior walls insulation and looking at whether the roof or building facade needs updating.

When he met with the Ham Lake Building Committee, which includes Councilmembers Gary Kirkeide and Tom Johnson, Krueger said a major renovation project rather than a face-lift would be the best long-term solution for Fire Station No. 1, so the city did not have to address issues again in another 10 to 15 years.

“I’d love to say this should serve us for 50 years when we’re done, as opposed to saying, well, this will get us by for now, Krueger said. “Because we can probably get by admittedly doing nothing, but I don’t think it serves the firefighters or the city best to do that either.”

How this facility would be paid for has not been determined. Bonding could be an option, Kirkeide said.

“This does need some work. We really need to make it right,” Kirkeide said of Fire Station No. 1. “Construction costs are going to be way down now, so this is the time to do this.”

To ventilate out the diesel fumes, Krueger said somebody will turn on a roof-top fan, but this is not good enough. This is one of the many issues Krueger wants to solve.

Fire Station No. 1 has three different HVAC systems with five thermostats and they do not work well together, Krueger said. This makes it even more uncomfortable in the training room in addition to the small size, Krueger said.

“It’s cold in there in the winter and hot in there in the summer,” he said.

The reason there are three HVAC systems is because one was added each of the two times the original building expanded.

Krueger said one HVAC system for the whole building would be much more efficient. The city is asking for cost estimates on different types of systems, including geothermal.

Public works

Reiner said the need for space is the biggest issue.

Trucks, plows, lawn mowers and an abundance of other equipment used throughout the year are stacked together, especially when winter comes and the snow plow shovels are attached to the trucks.

For the last year, the city has rented approximately 1,000 square feet at a rate of $400 per month from landlord Floyd Vorel at 3330 Bunker Lake Blvd. N.E. in Ham Lake.

The public works department also has about 4,000 square feet of storage space at its building in Ham Lake Park.

The main public works building by city hall is approximately 11,000 square feet.

As the population grows and more parks and trails are constructed, more equipment is needed. The city is asking for RFP for a space needs study that would meet the long-term needs of the public works department.

Some city public works departments have cold storage buildings that are a cheaper equipment storage option because the building is not heated.

Reiner said cold storage could house some of the equipment, but he would not suggest trucks being stored in these buildings.

Ham Lake presently has about 1,000 square feet of cold storage space by the tennis courts near city hall.

For the main public works building by city hall, lighting upgrades and HVAC upgrades in the office and break room are other necessary improvements, according to Reiner.

Reiner said they have a make-up air HVAC system that does not have carbon monoxide sensors on them, so when the vehicles start up, he needs to manually turn the system on or the office and break room area between the two vehicle storage areas will fill up with carbon monoxide smoke. There is no ventilation in the storage areas when the large overhead doors are shut.

Eric Hagen is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it