RIVER FALLS — The River Falls City Council unanimously awarded BCI Construction a contract for $9,010,069 of the now projected $10,513,998 Fire Station Project during the Sept. 23 meeting.

Fire Chief Justin Wilson presented fire station bids as council decided to both approve the base bid as well as a trio of alternative items for the construction of the new station.

Council previously directed a $10 million budget toward the project to create an efficient and future-ready building.

According to Wilson’s presentation, the base project includes demolition, construction of a three-story hose tower, a second story build with a training area, storage and future use space, four new apparatus bays, an interior remodel of the current apparatus bays, undergrounding electric service, upsizing the water service line and improving exhaust systems. The base bid came in at $8.3 million from BCI.

Three alternative bids were also presented, with a fifth apparatus bay, a new roof on the building being remodeled and a health and wellness/fitness room. Wilson said they have usable training rooms currently, the issue is the lack of space for larger sessions like CPR training.

The recommendation from Wilson on behalf of the department was for the base bid plus the fifth apparatus bay alternative to have all key equipment in one area.

“Obviously, in a perfect world, we would love to have everything, but we want to be sure to leave that up to council,” Wilson said. “That fifth bay is huge, because if we did say, ‘Let’s do that later,’ it’s going to be a huge cost.”

Adding an additional bay tacks on $340,000 to the project. Furniture, design, community art components and a handful of other items bridge the gap from BCI’s bid to the $10.5 million total project projection. The base bid and additional bay option that Wilson recommended would have had a project cost of $10,158,998. To include all alternatives, the cost is expected at $10,513,998.

Alderperson Jeff Bjork said it would make sense to complete alternative two while they are reconstructing the facility, replacing the roof at an additional cost of $135,000.

“I think sending the message of support by also doing alternative three is important,” Alderperson Scott Morrissette said about adding the final alternative, a health and wellness/fitness area for $220,000. “As Mr. Bjork said, it ain’t going to get any cheaper, so let’s not kid ourselves about that.”

Mayor Dan Toland said with extra money in the fund balance, this is a $400,000 increase that makes sense and is responsible. USDA is funding $1.4 million of the project.

“When I go back and be able to share this news, there will be a lot of very happy people,” Wilson said. “There’s a lot of pride and ownership in what we do, and this building is part of that.”

Suicide Prevention Month Presentation

Taylor Stevens-Nudd, an RF Action member and teacher in the River Falls School District, was allotted time to present on Suicide Prevention Month, which is September. Stevens-Nudd said 1 in 5 people experience a mental health challenge in their lifetime, and less than half receive care. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10-14 and third among the 15-24 demographic.

“I am a suicide attempt survivor,” Stevens-Nudd said. “This is why I’m so passionate about this work.”

After going to UW-Whitewater and asking for a mental health professional to help after the suicide attempt, Stevens-Nudd was told there would be a 6-8 week wait.

“This is a mental health crisis. This is serious, and people are losing their lives because of it,” Stevens-Nudd said.

RF Action is proposing a community response team to partner with local law enforcement, community members and counselors to provide crisis intervention rather than having to wait 6-8 weeks. From there, a crisis plan would be put together. Stevens-Nudd asked to meet with city representatives in the near future to discuss a partnership.

“We’re not the only people that are facing this challenge, and we’re not the only rural small community that’s trying to deal with this,” Stevens-Nudd said.

For those in a mental health crisis, calling or texting 988 can set people up with support.

Other business

• Approved a purchase agreement with Mega Chef Equipment for $196,000 so Mega Chef can construct a 10,000 square foot building in the River Falls Industrial Park.
• Approved a $44,500 annual assessment to fund downtown improvements. Each business improvement district property takes on a portion of the cost.
• Authorized application for a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Urban Forestry Grant.
• Approved a $100,224 purchase of materials for Boulder Ridge electric distribution replacements and upgrades.
• Renewed health and dental insurance for 2026 with Medica and Health Partners, auditing services for 2025-27 with CliftonAllenLarson and a snow removal services extension with Linehan Outdoor Services.