Bay City, MI, Looks to Reopen Fire Station

Bay City officials are assessing the future of Fire Station 5, which has deteriorated and is non-compliant with modern standards.

By Nick Taylor

Source mlive.com

Nov. 18, 2025

4 min read

Bay City is evaluating the future of its fire stations and looking at the urgent need to upgrade Fire Station 5 and addressing environmental hazards at Station 2.

BAY CITY, MI – Bay City officials recently considered an evaluation of one of the city’s fire stations as they look to reopen the 60-year-old facility.

Daniel Redstone of Redstone Architects presented several options for improving the city’s now-defunct Fire Station 5 during the Bay City Commission’s Monday, Nov. 3, meeting.

“You have to start somewhere, and I think this assessment of Station 5 may be the beginning of the broader discussion of how you provide fire services for the entire city,” Redstone said.

The commission voted to approve an approximately $40,000 professional services agreement with Redstone Architects for the evaluation in July.

“If we have to make choices, we have to prioritize what’s best for the city,” 2nd Ward Commissioner Craig Kokaly said.

Fire Station 5 was built in 1965 and a building addition was constructed at the facility, located at 1299 Smith St., in the 1980s, increasing the size of the station to about 4,900 square feet, according to Redstone. The station has been closed since July 2024.

In addition to the age of the station, the facility’s structural conditions are deteriorating, leading to crumbling walls and water leaks.

The station is also non-compliant with current National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and American Disabilities Act (ADA) standards as well as building codes, according to Redstone. He noted one of the primary aims of each proposed improvement project for the facility would be to make it a “21st century fire station.”

Redstone said the station’s apparatus bay is in need of extensive repairs, noting the masonry in the bay is peeling off. Additionally, he told commissioners the mechanical and electrical systems at the station are in “really bad condition” and could cause a fire.

Plans for each of the proposed projects include the comprehensive redesigning and modernization of the station.

“This is not a wish list,” Redstone said. “This is really what is needed for an operational station.”

If it is reopened, Station 5 would need to be expanded to about 8,200 square feet to meet modern standards.

“The interior of the building really needs to be fully demolished to accommodate space needs of the operation,” Redstone said.

Commissioners considered three potential improvement projects for the station. One option is to renovate the existing station, which would cost about $350 per square foot for a total of approximately $1.7 million.

Another option is to renovate and expand the station by about 3,000 square feet for a total project cost of about $3.4 million.

The third and most expensive of the options presented to the commission is to demolish the existing station and build a new facility, which would cost between $4 million and $4.5 million.

Redstone recommends that rather than improving Fire Station 5, the city consider expanding Fire Station 4, located at 212 S. Dean St., citing the cost of the proposed Station 5 projects. However, this suggestion received some push back from the commission.

“What good does it do us to fix up Station 4 or 5 whatever it is and then find out we have to close Station 2 because it’s got major problems?” 5th Ward Commissioner Mark Zanotti said.

Securing funding for the projects proposed for Station 5 is expected to be a challenge as Zanotti said it is still unclear how the city would cover project costs.

“Either way we do this or don’t do it, it’s going to cost us money,” Zanotti said. “We need to do something that looks at the whole picture.”

Zanotti and Commissioner Joseph Charlebois suggested asking residents to vote on a proposed fire millage to fund future fire station projects, with Charlebois describing the projected cost of making necessary upgrades a “hard pill to swallow.”

Bay City Fire Chief Kurt Corradi told commissioners that while he supports the evaluation of Fire Station 5, he said addressing the needs of Fire Station 2 is a top priority for the city’s department of public safety.

Fire Station 2, located at 1000 Fremont Ave., was built in 1956, and the site as well as the facility itself are contaminated with PFAS.

“That would be devastating for the city if we lost that station,” Kokaly said.

Public Safety Director Caleb Rowell said the city has been remedying the issue by working with environmental groups to dig up and dispose of dirt on the property. However, further testing of the dirt at the site revealed the area is still contaminated.

The city has also applied for an approximately $900,000 grant that would support the cleanup at the site, Rowell said.

“We have done a lot of remediation there,” he said. “We’re not just sitting on our hands waiting.”

The commission did not take any action regarding Fire Station 5 during its Nov. 3 meeting, but it is expected to revisit the issue after the city holds a meeting addressing public infrastructure at 6 p.m. on Nov. 17. The meeting will be held at City Hall Commission Chambers, located at 301 Washington Ave. in Bay City.

City commission agendas are available online at baycitymi.gov.