Mayor: Dover fire station upgrades still affordable despite cost increase
DOVER – The city’s fire station upgrades are going to cost about 25 percent more than anticipated.
Council this week approved an additional $160,000 on top of $665,000 already budgeted for the project.
The city plans to turn now empty office space into storage and living quarters for the fire department at 223 East 3rd Street. That space was vacated when the utilities office, auditor, service department and other offices moved into the new Dover Municipal Center a block away.
A small addition is part of the project, too. Mayor Shane Gunnoe says that will store turnout gear to keep it away from firefighters. He says studies have shown turnout gear, which accumulates residue and other materials from fires, can cause cancer, so it should be stored as far away as possible from firefighters’ quarters.
Gunnoe says the price increase is due to the rising cost of materials and inflation over the past six months.
“The same thing that’s affecting individuals in terms of the cost of materials is affecting us as a city as well,” he said.
The city took out $3 million in bonds in 2024 to pay for the new municipal headquarters and the renovations for the fire and police departments. Gunnoe says the city hall and fire department projects have cost about $2.6 million total. The rest will go toward the police department project. He says the city has also set to cover costs over the initial $3 million bond issuance.
The city plans to expand the police department into the former City Hall on East Third Street starting in early 2027. Gunnoe says the fire department upgrades will take about eight months.