The estimated $6.37 million station was discussed at a meeting Thursday, at which department heads sought input from council members on a proposed $955.5 million Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for 2026-2030.

“We’d like to move Station One, which is the headquarters station, down to the south side. We’ve looked at different properties,” Fire Chief Kelli Kronschnabel said. “In ’26, I have in the budget to secure the land. The land is very expensive, and it’s just going to keep going up in that area. And there’s been some discussion about buying land for not only the fire department but also the police department.”

Council member Mike Blessum said he is sympathetic to the need for a new southside fire station to be able to provide adequate coverage to growth areas, including around the hospital.

“It’s unfortunate that we’re going to have to spend a bunch of money to make that happen,” he said, asking about utilization of the existing Station One building if firefighting operations move.

Jill Schramm/MDN City Engineer Lance Meyer explains the development of the proposed Capital Improvements Projects plan to members of the city council at an informational meeting Thursday in City Hall.

Kronschnabel said there’s been discussion about potentially leaving fire administration in the building. She also mentioned potential for the police department to use the building for its special operations team or other purposes to help address its space issues in its current location.

“That facility would be a great option for us to store our vehicles and to actually train out of,” Acting Police Chief Capt. Dale Plessas said in indicating his support for the idea.

Blessum said use of the Station One building could be part of a solution to get the police department through the next 15 to 20 years and avoid the huge cost – up to $75 million – to renovate existing space in legacy city hall or build a new police station. The city still would need to remodel legacy city hall if police continue to use it, but Blessum said it is hard to justify a new police station in south Minot based on growth that hasn’t happened.

“That’s just not realistic with what we’ve got on the agenda for the city,” Blessum told Plessas. “Between flood (protection) and everything else that we’re trying to do, I think we’re much better off working within the current structure to make it everything we can for you and then work through these other pieces to get Fire and special ops taken care of.”

“Whatever decision is made has to fit the public,” Plessas agreed, adding, however, that the legacy city hall will need essential upgrades. “What’s clear is that something has to be done, because there’s a price tag that comes with not doing anything.”

Jill Schramm/MDN Department heads and members of the Minot City Council gather in City Hall Thursday to talk about the next five years of proposed capital improvement projects.

Council member Paul PItner noted the building will need heating and cooling system work whether the police department uses the building or the city finds another use.

Council member Lisa Olson said there may be ways to scale back the legacy city hall renovation from the architect’s proposals, but it needs to result in a workable solution.

“If the investment is going to be made in that building, then, I think, we need to do it right,” she said. “This is a working facility for our police department, and we need to do more than paint and put in carpet. We need to do it right.”

Plessas said he is open to options on the architect’s proposals.

“We’re waiting for a little more guidance in determining where we’re going to go with this,” he said. “We have plans to utilize the building that we’re currently in, in the meantime, but we’re just looking for something in the CIP.”

The council informally supported CIP projects that move Station One, repurpose that building and add some improvements to the legacy city hall building. City Manager Harold Stewart said the city is waiting for cost estimates on upgrades to legacy city hall.

Other projects in the proposed CIP include a new $400,000 fuel farm at the Public Works complex and a new $2.5 million water and sewer building. A whopping $566.4 million in flood control projects make up the bulk of the CIP.

The breakdown by department in the plan presented to the council included $35.6 million for airport projects; $115.38 million for engineering (streets, sidewalks and bridges); $7.3 million for the fire department; $75.24 million for the police department; $400,000 for Public Works Operations, $96 million for sanitary sewer, $16.2 million for storm sewer and $42.6 million for water projects.

The CIP’s funding comes largely from federal funds and city sales tax dollars. Property taxes are only proposed for police department space. User fees help pay for water and sewer projects, and special assessments make up a small amount of the total.

The $96 million in the CIP for sanitary sewer is the estimated cost of a proposed wastewater treatment facility to replace the existing lagoon.The wastewater facility has been listed in the city’s CIP for planning purposes in the past, but Utilities Director Jason Sorenon said there is no need for its construction unless federal wastewater rules become more strict or the city’s population reaches a level not anticipated soon. The council was open to removing the facility from the CIP if it isn’t expected to be built in the next five years.

The CIP also includes several million dollars for watermain replacements in each of the next five years. Sorenson said the city still has 70 miles of cast iron pipes needing replacement, but that is nearly 25 years of work at the city’s current pace of three miles a year. The city also has been experiencing more watermain breaks as those pipes age.

The engineering portion of the CIP includes $1.5 million in 2026 for the Third Street Southeast Bridge replacement, although that is just for the preliminaries. Replacement, which will cost many millions of dollars, is to come later. City Engineer Lance Meyer said it will take several years to develop a project.

Asked about alternatives to replacement, such returning to a ground-level rail crossing, Meyer said those options will be dictated by the railroad. If not replaced at all, the city would need to ensure its other north-south corridors can accommodate the extra 8,500 vehicles a day that use Third Street, he said.

Blessum said given the costs, he would be willing to consider the ramifications of not having a bridge, noting the city went without the bridge for some time last year when it was closed for the flood project and safety inspection.

“We’ve got another bridge across both the river and the tracks about four blocks to the west. I think we have to really give it serious consideration whether this is the right path,” he said of replacement. “I’m hoping that there are other options that are available.”

A $45.47 million South Broadway reconstruction project also is scheduled in the CIP to start in 2030, with work spread over several future construction seasons.

The CIP includes $392,000 for a sidewalk by the Optimist Soccer Complex on 21st Avenue Northwest. Meyer said the sidewalk has been the citizens’ most requested project.

The Anne Street Pedestrian Bridge over the Souris River downtown is listed in the CIP for engineering in 2027 and construction in 2030. The $8.45 million project has been controversial. The council previously has debated the bridge’s necessity and inclusion in the CIP.

“We don’t want to use any local funding to replace it,” Meyer said. “At this point, the bridge is listed as 100 percent federal funds. I’ll tell you, there’s almost no grant sources out there for 100 percent federal funds.”

The CIP includes $760,000 for Eastwood Park Bridge rehabilitation, although Meyer said until more review is done, the actual cost and availability of funds are unknown. The pedestrian bridge was a traffic bridge for Sixth Street many years ago. Meyer said the historic bridge is showing some structural issues and needs to be further examined.

Improvements estimated at $1.1 million also are proposed around the current city hall building. Those improvements include rebuilding the parking lot, improving parking lot lighting, creating a more secure railing next to the lot and work on the building facade.

Meyer said the work doesn’t score high on the priority list, but it is a property upkeep project that can be tackled in phases. A proposed $639,000 pocket park at Second Avenue and Main Street also is not a high priority but is included as a quality of life improvement, he added.