AGENCY REQUEST
FOR
BUILDING COMMISSION ACTION
November 2007
Project No. 07H2K, 07H2M, 07H2L
I. Agency: Department of Natural Resources
II. Location: Statewide: Tomah Ranger Station (Monroe County), Whiting Ranger Station (Portage County), Prentice Ranger Station (Price County)
III. Project Request: The Department requests the authority to bid and construct the following three ranger stations at a total estimated project budget of $4,122,700; $4,030,900 Segregated Conservation Fund Borrowing (20.866 (2)(tu)), $91,800 Agency Funds-Law Enforcement Boat Storage funds, (20.370 (3)(ar)).
A Tomah Ranger Station, #07H2K: Construct a 6,730 gross square foot (gsf) (1,630 gsf program office and support space, 3,300 gsf heated 3 bay fire control drive-thru vehicle storage and maintenance garage, 1,800 gsf unheated storage garage) ranger station on a 3.37 acre site located on the east side of County Hwy. CA within the city of Tomah. This facility will replace the existing Tomah ranger station. This parcel has developed access, municipal water, sewer, natural gas and electricity. The total estimate budget of this project is $1,178,000.
B. Whiting Ranger Station, #07H2M: Construct a 8,450 gsf (1,850 gsf program office and support space, 4,200 gsf heated 3 bay fire control drive-thru vehicle storage and maintenance garage, 2,400 gsf unheated storage garage) ranger station on a 3.74 acre site one mile from I-39 on Maple Drive one block south of County B within a commercially zoned development in Plover. Municipal water and sewer are near the site as are electric and natural gas services. The total estimated budget of this project is $1,510,200. This facility will replace the existing Whiting ranger station.
C. Prentice Ranger Station, #07H2L: Construct a 9,140 gsf (1,940 gsf program office and support space, 2,400 gsf heated 2 bay fire control drive-thru vehicle storage and maintenance garage, 4,800 gsf unheated storage garage) on a 4.37 acre site in the Town of Prentice. Municipal sewer and water is available. The total estimated cost of this project is $1,434,500. This facility will replace the existing Prentice Ranger Station.
These projects will allow the Department to continue its scheduled ranger station replacement building program. Completed and approved by the Natural Resources Board in 1994, the Fire Control Study contained a prioritized schedule for ranger station replacement, construction, renovation, consolidation and closure which is reflected in the Department’s Six Year Facilities Plan. These projects represent the fifth phase of the ranger station replacement and renovation schedule.
The Department also requests the authority to transfer unspent budget authority between projects to provide flexibility to address potential cost adjustments.
This project is contingent upon the enactment of the 2007-09 Capital Budget.
IV. Project Description and Justification: In the late 1980’s the Bureau of Forestry recognized that many major changes in communications, transportation systems, firefighting equipment, residential development and industrial forest management practices had occurred since the vast majority of its ranger stations had first been sited and constructed some fifty years earlier. In an effort to be proactive in both program content and delivery, the Bureau began in 1990 to develop a long-range facilities plan for its ranger stations and storage facilities within their statewide Forest Fire Control Program.
Given the age of many of its ranger stations, structural integrity of the infrastructure became one of the more important criteria the Bureau used to rank each facility. Additional criteria were later applied to evaluate each existing location by assessing the distribution of personnel and equipment in relationship to the levels of fire protection, rural/urban interface, response time and the type of resource being protected in each area. Completed and approved by the Natural Resources Board in 1994, the Fire Control Study contained a prioritized schedule for ranger station replacement, construction, renovation, consolidation and closure which is reflected in the Department’s Six Year Facilities Plan.
A. Tomah Ranger Station, #07H2K: Tomah Ranger Station is located on a 1.97 acre site on US Hwy.12 (four traffic lanes) in the center of the city Tomah between I-90 and I-94. Additional major roads crossing US Hwy. 12 include State Hwy 16 south of the station and State Hwy. 21 north of the station. These two roads serve as access routes to Fort McCoy to the west of Tomah. The US Hwy. 12 corridor, with the associated I-90 and I-94 interchanges is the focus of rapid commercial development producing an increasingly heavy traffic flow. This congestion has resulted in slower response times and at times has compromised public safety.
Originally constructed in 1938, the Tomah Ranger Station was built to house Fire Control personnel and equipment protecting central Monroe County and serve as the residence for the Forest Ranger. Today the station serves the Tomah FRU which covers eleven townships in Monroe County and two townships in Jackson County. The Tomah FRU includes areas of Level 1 fire protection that are comprised of urban interface residences and pine/oak fuel types.
A full analysis of the building and grounds and a Facility Inspection Report was conducted in 1999. Areas of deficiency noted in this report include wiring, lack of emergency power, fire and security systems, numerous plumbing code violations, inadequate ventilation, insulation and lighting, leaking windows, gutters and down-spouts, deteriorating exterior stone and mortar joints, and ADA requirements. The repairs and upgrades, estimated at $375,000 do not address additional storage needs, limited space on the site or increasing traffic flow problems on to and off of US. Hwy 12.
B. Whiting Ranger Station, #07H2M: Built in 1962, the Whiting Ranger Station is located 1 block off Business Highway 51 in the village of Whiting. Highways I-39, US Highways 10, 51, and 54 all cross within two miles of the Whiting Ranger Station in the greater Stevens Point and Plover area.
The station is located on a one acre lot within the boundaries of a village park within a residential neighborhood. The one acre site is not of sufficient size on which to construct a garage facility with drive-through capabilities.
The Department has long had a unique relationship with the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UW-SP) through a mutual aid agreement. With a large number of students studying Forestry, the College of Natural Resources provides firefighters and hand crews for wildland fires and prescribed burning on a statewide basis for the Department. The 120-person UW-SP Fire Crew is a source of trained hand crews for the statewide deployment available to the Department. The Department provides Basic and Advanced Wildland Firefighter Training to the UW-SP students. The station Forestry staff act as liaison with UWSP.
The problems associated with the current storage are many. First, the building is simply too small to properly store larger and longer fire fighting equipment, Department employees constructed a lean-to addition to the shed in the 1980. Additional rental space is required to house the remaining equipment which includes an additional law enforcement boat and trailer, an ATV and snowmobile. Forestry is required to rent storage space for five tree planting machines.
Second, response time to forest fires during off-hours is substantially increased because fire equipment can not be stored in a "ready-to-roll" mode. Equipment must be repositioned and connected for a fire response run during the night. The steel storage building does not have adequate depth to accommodate a connected heavy unit (engine with tractor-plow and trailer). During non-work hours the heavy unit is separated and stored on the warm side of the storage building. During work hours the heavy unit is fully connected and parked outdoors within the parking area.
Third, the UW-SP fire crews assemble at the station but the equipment used by these fire crews is stored at the Whiting Fire Department. This equipment should be stored at the station, but that is not possible. Six years ago the LeMay Forestry Center fabricated a water tank, trailer and pump assembly for the UW-SP fire crew. For lack of space, it is currently stored at the Whiting Fire Department. Since this crew assembles at the ranger, it is efficient for the water tank to be at the fire department. This equipment will be moved to and stored at the new Plover Ranger Station.
Fourth, when originally constructed, a sand point and pitless adapter were driven to supply groundwater and a septic tank was installed to handle wastewater on-site. The office building was later connected to municipal water and sewer service, but the sand point was left intact to fill the fire trucks with water. Well output is in the range of 6 to 10 gallons a minute, requiring very lengthy refill times for the fire engines with 190 and 850-gallon tanks.
C. Prentice Ranger Station, #07H2L: The Prentice Ranger Station lies approximately 30 miles south from the Park Falls Service Center, 35 miles north from the Medford Ranger Station, 40 miles east of the Ladysmith Service Center, and 42 miles west from the Rhinelander Service Center.
Within the Village, the present station is surrounded on two sides by residential housing, a community Park to the east, and a Medford Clinic Satellite Office to the south. The Ranger Station is in a location that transitions from commercial and residential zoning.
Originally built in 1935, the Prentice Ranger Station was established to house fire control personnel and fire suppression equipment protecting Southern Price and Northeast Taylor Counties. The basic structure of the building has not changed substantially since original construction. This two story station served both as the office with equipment storage as well as the living quarters for the Prentice Forest Ranger and family. The Village of Prentice donated a 1.7 acre where the state then built the ranger station. As expected, this 72 year old building lacks many of the conveniences and improvements that are required by current codes, regulations, and standards such as ADA accessibility, plumbing, electrical, insulation, HVAC, lighting, maintenance, and public access.
For example, building #00344, is a 3,900 gross square foot (gsf)) two-story masonry building serves as the ranger station office and also contains five garage stalls. Both bathrooms clearly do not meet ADA accessibility standards. During the summer bats are a serious nuisance and health concern for the staff. The building is not air conditioned. Employees are often unable to work on the second floor of the station due to the extreme discomfort of heat and humidity.
And, building #4319, is a 2,400 gsf non-insulated, wood frame pole building that provides storage for the station’s Fire Control Type 4 engine with dozer and trailer and other equipment. This building does not offer a high capacity water fill for Department fire fighting equipment. This building provides secure and dry storage, but does not offer thermal protection during freezing weather. Fire control units must drain water from freeze sensitive plumbing and pumps on trucks each night during the spring and fall fire seasons and refill this equipment in the morning.
This station is listed in DNR Manual Code 1810.1 as a historic ranger station. Structural improvements at these buildings will respect their historic character, and its historical integrity is a foremost consideration during routine operations and maintenance. The Wisconsin State Historical Society must be consulted on any alterations planned at this facility.
V. Budget and Schedule:
Budget
Tomah Ranger Station, #07H2K
Total site preparation and development $104,600
Building construction 815,800
Total construction $920,400
A/E design (8%) 73,600
Other fees (topo, site plan, soil borings, testing and balancing) 13,400
DSF project delivery fee (4% construction and contingency) 39,400
Contingency (7%) 76,400
Moveable equipment 54,000
Percent for the Arts (office portion only) 800
Total estimated project budget $1,178,000
Whiting Ranger Station, #07H2M
Total site preparation and site development $174,700
Building construction 1,003,600
Total construction $1,178,300
A/E design (8.0%) 94,300
Other fees (topo, site plan, soil borings, testing and balancing) 16,900
DSF project delivery fee (4% construction and contingency) 50,400
Contingency (7%) 97,800
Movable equipment 71,600
Percent for the Arts (office portion only ) 900
Total estimated project budget $1,510,200
Prentice Ranger Station, #07H2L
Total site preparation and development $82,600
Building construction 925,400
Subtotal construction $1,008,000
Remote location (10%) 100,800
Total construction $1,108,800
A/E design (8.0%) 88,700
Other fees (topo, site plan, soil borings, testing and balancing) 15,700
DSF project delivery fee (4% construction and contingency) 47,500
Contingency (7%) 92,000
Movable Equipment 80,800
Percent for the Arts (office portion only) 1,000
Total estimated project budget $1,434,500
Schedule
Program approval November 2007
A/E Selection January 2008
Bid Date October 2008
Start of Construction May 2009
Substantial Completion August 2010
Final Completion September 2010
VI. Previous Building Commission Action:
March 2007 – The State Building Commission recommended this project be included in the 2007-09 Capital Budget.
The scheduled replacement of ranger stations in an on-going program. These projects represent the fifth phase of the ranger station replacement and renovation schedule. The Lake Tomahawk and Wausaukee stations represented the first phase, (1997-99). The Webster and Fairchild (Augusta) stations represented the second phase (1999-01), the Winter and Pembine stations represented the third phase (2003-05) and the Merrill Ranger Station represented the fourth phase (2005-07).
Agency Contact: Mark Hambrecht, , 608-266-2698
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