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HUBBELL — The proposal to build a new fire hall for the Bootjack Fire & Rescue is closer to being a reality after the Torch Lake Township Board of Trustees gave its approval Wednesday to go ahead with the project.

Fire Chief Dan Sarazin said at the board’s regular meeting that the project, which will be funded by the Bootjack Fire & Rescue Foundation, is ready to get started with soil tests on the proposed site. The new hall is to be constructed behind the current fire hall on Bootjack Road.

Sarazin said the new fire hall, which will be built in two phases, is needed because the current fire hall, which was constructed in 1957, is too small to hold the fire department’s larger fire trucks, which barely clear the sides of the doorways. It’s too close to the road, also, making exiting and entering a danger because of oncoming traffic.

“Traffic is coming around a blind corner and they’re right on top of you,” he said.

The new building will house some other equipment, such as an all-terrain vehicle and a hovercraft, which are currently stored outside, Sarazin said.

It’s estimated the new fire hall will cost $450,000, Sarazin said, and a portion of that will come to the Foundation from a private individual. The rest will come from fundraising events.

“This will be fully funded by the Foundation,” he said.

Engineering and architectural drawings should take about three months, Sarazin said.

“We’re hoping some construction can start this fall,” he said.

Sarazin said after the new fire hall is completed, it will be deeded to the township.

“The foundation is not interested in being the real estate business,” he said.

Sarazin said after the new hall is completed, the current hall will be turned over to the township.

“We’re hoping they’re going to use it has a community building,” he said.

On another fire department matter, Sarazin said because of the new township burning permit ordinance, which the board of trustees approved in February, six permits have been issued already, and the system is working well so far.

“There doesn’t seem to be any problems,” he said. “Everything is going quite smoothly.”

In February, township Superintendent Brian Cadwell said the trustees decided to establish their own outdoor burning ordinance because often residents would get burn permits from the Department of Natural Resources, which used to be the policy, and the DNR would fail to inform local fire chiefs. When neighbors would see fires, they would call 911 and fire departments would be dispatched to the legal fires, which potentially put fire fighters in danger.

In other business, the board:

• adopted a no-smoking policy for township-owned buildings, which conforms to the Western Upper Peninsula District Health Department’s Clean Indoor Air Regulation adopted by the Houghton County Board of Commissioners, and which goes into effect on May 6.

• approved a $200 down payment to SoftMedia for software to be used to construct the new township Web site.

• approved a ban on commercial activity on township property.



Kurt Hauglie can be reached at khauglie@mininggazette.com

 

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