News : Fire, Police and Ambulance to be under One Roof

Plans are underway to build a new Emergency Service Facility. It is tentatively thought that it would be located on the Braille School property, on the corner of Highway 218/South K Ave. and 13th St..

Last September a committee with members of the Vinton Police Department, Vinton Fire Department, and North Benton Ambulance came together and interviewed several firms to design the facility. Solum Lang Architects was chosen to design the building which would house all three emergency services in one central location.

The city has already budgeted money to design the facility, which should take approximately a year. The designers are from Vinton and Urbana so they have a definite interest in this project and are excited to be part of the plans.

The project is to include 8 bays for the fire department and 4 each for Police and Ambulance, support spaces and a joint Training Center. The proposal says the building would likely be one story, conventional steel framing with brick and stone incorporated in the exterior. the size is to be approximately 24,000 square feet and likely to include a FEMA P-351 safe room. The estimated cost will be around 6 million dollars which would not include furniture, fixtures, equipment, fees and financing.

The City approved an agreement with the firm to begin designing the facility.