Renovations will soon begin on the River Falls Fire Department’s fire station at 115 N. Second St., and more details have come into focus in recent months.

During the Sept. 23 River Falls City Council meeting, the bid for the project was awarded to BCI Construction. BCI submitted the lowest bid at $8.3 million for the base project. Additionally, the council approved three alternate options for the construction. The first alternate included the addition of a fifth apparatus bay. Finally, alternate number three included the addition of a health and wellness room in the renovated station, along with the new roof and fifth apparatus bay.

“The members are super excited about,” said Fire Chief Justin Wilson. “I think it also helps us with retention and bringing in new firefighters too, because when they see the facility that we have, they’re going to understand that our community, our city, our surrounding areas really take pride and ownership in what we do and the facilities that we have, and that’s going to give people that want to come and be part of this.”

A project start date of Jan. 27, 2026 has been set, which will include a partial demolition of the existing facility. Phase I completion is expected by mid-September 2026, while Phase 2 should be completed by the end of November 2026.

The total cost of the project with all three alternates is $10,513,998. The city received a federal grant for $1.4 million in March 2024 to be used for the renovations.

The fire station was originally built at its current Second Street location in 1955. An addition was built in 1969 to create more room for larger apparatuses. For many years, that location also housed City Hall, the River Falls Public Library and the River Falls Police Department.

This article was originally published in the December City of River Falls newsletter.