Support continues pouring in for new fire station

Support keeps pouring in for the City of Greenfield after the May tornado, including for the Greenfield Fire Department.

The 21-member all-volunteer fire department had its station damaged beyond repair in the storm. It was later razed and a new one will be built in the future.

The fire department accepted two large donations last week. One was in a presentation Thursday, Nov. 14, where the department accepted a $15,000 donation from Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO), Farmers Electric Cooperative and Greenfield Municipal Utilities (GMU) toward the rebuilding of the station. The other came in the form of a $17,522 check from the Warren Cultural Center, presented Saturday, Nov. 16 by board member Thaddeus Hawley. The funds are from a concert event he organized earlier this fall.

The first donation came two days after the Greenfield City Council, in their regular Tuesday, Nov. 12 meeting, approved the scope and fee for JEO Consulting of Ankeny to begin the design phase of a new station.

Kerry Koonce, Vice President of Communications and Corporate Relations with CIPCO, explained the principles that cooperatives operate under and the reason why this donation is so important.

“Cooperatives work around seven principles and a big piece of what we are concerned about is our concern for our communities,” Koonce said. “That hits this piece because we believe in supporting and giving back to the communities we serve. You have destruction like what happened in the May tornado and we want to provide help where we can.”

As a generator and transmitter of electricity, CIPCO has member-owners, one of which is Farmers Electric. GMU belongs to Southern Iowa Municipal Electric Cooperative Association, another member of CIPCO. In short, CIPCO provides power for GMU and Farmers Electric customers alike.

GMU General Manager Scott Tonderum said the impact the tornado has had on the community’s infrastructure is very notable.

“Besides damage to homes and businesses, the infrastructure that was damaged — not only electric stuff, but the hospital, ambulance, fire station, four or five other businesses that were completely gone — we lost a lot of infrastructure too,” Tonderum said.

Farmers Electric CEO Holi Weston said that not only does the cooperative simply want to help the community, but giving this donation is somewhat personal for her, as she has multiple family members who are Greenfield volunteer firefighters.

“The best part about being a cooperative is our commitment to community, and that is one of our guiding principles. This fire department is priceless to the community. Being able to be a part of the donation is pretty wonderful,” Weston said. “I have two cousins and an uncle who are part of the fire department. It’s definitely a special fire department in more ways than one.”

The “Still Rockin’ After the Storm” concert event, with multiple musical acts, drink and food truck options, a raffle and auction, was enjoyed by many. Hawley said he is glad the event was able to have such a monetary impact on the fire department.

“I’m proud to have been able to work with so many people, including Rick Hillyard from the Iowa Rock and Roll Museum, the Warren Cultural Center Board, and The Audio Shop out of Omaha,” Hawley said. “In total, we raised $17,552 for the Greenfield Volunteer Fire Departmenjt. I hope this aids in the swift rebuilding of our much-needed fire station.”

The cost for the design phase of getting a new fire station is approximately $158,000, city officials said. Fire department and rural fire association officials have been doing their homework both on the site of the damaged station and looking at other new fire stations around the region, developing a wish list and rough drawings.

Fire Chief TJ Oder said the hope is to be able to have an L-shaped facility where the department’s larger trucks will face east to Highway 25 and be able to pull directly out to the highway when responding to a call. When the trucks return, they would ideally be able to pull in from the back of the station so that no backing in is required. A southward-facing portion of the station would be in a similar way to the old station and be where the department’s grass rigs and other equipment would be stored.

There would also be a meeting room and an area for storage of gear somewhere in the building.

Oder said he would also like a storm shelter in the new station. Firefighters who were at the station when the tornado directly hit the building were taking cover in a vault in the basement.

Officials said at a past city council meeting they would like to limit a new station to 10,000 square feet or less to control costs.

It is not yet known how the new station would be paid for, however FEMA will likely be involved in paying for it.

The fire department has recently received other donations lately and Oder said the department is thankful for each one of them.

“Every donation is huge, no matter the amount or who it’s from,” Oder said. “It’s all going to be utilized for our members and the community, and that’s what it’s all about. We’re using it all to get back to where we need to be.”