Fishers to borrow $14.5 million to renovate, rebuild fire stations

The city of Fishers plans to issue two bonds to raise $14.5 million that will be used to either renovate or rebuild two fire stations.

The Fishers City Council on Monday gave approval for the redevelopment commission to borrow $5 million that will be repaid with taxes paid on property within the special taxing district surrounding Fire Station 93 at 10501 Allisonville Road. The council also introduced plans to issue a $9.5 million general obligation bond, which will be repaid by property taxes.

The first bond will pay for interior renovations of Fire Station 93, while the latter will fund renovations or the rebuild of Fire Station 91, which serves as the department’s headquarters. Fire Station 91 is in the Nickel Plate District at 2 Municipal Drive.

When presenting the 2019 budget last month, Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness said the citys' fire stations are in desperate need of updates and upgrades, and he said bonds would be pursued to pay for the work.

The headquarters station is out of space and no longer meets the needs of the department, Fadness said.

The city has commissioned a study to assess the needs and conditions of fire stations and other city buildings that will help determine the scope of renovations in several buildings. Two other stations might also receive updates. 

A special council meeting will be held Nov. 5, when a public hearing will be conducted before the council votes on the $9.5 million bond.

Councilor Eric Moeller said the council recently took a tour of several city buildings, including the fire stations, which opened their eyes to the buildings’ conditions.

“We are a completely different municipal organization than when they were built, and they are in serious health decline, and they’re not really a great place for our public safety folks to work in,” he said. “It’s not one of those things we take lightly when we ask taxpayers to pay for municipal buildings, but in this case, I think everybody would agree with us if they went through this process that you want to keep those firemen safe.”