The Suttons Bay-Bingham Fire Department is getting half a million dollars of remodeling and renovations starting Dec. 6. The fire authority authorized a contract to the Traverse Citybased contractor RCI Richter Construction Tuesday. The project is expected to be completed in early May 2025.
“We’re adding five individual bedrooms and five individual bathrooms down at the end of the building,” Suttons Bay-Bingham Fire Chief James Porter explained. “There are two bedrooms and two bathrooms right now.” This will expand and rework the existing crew quarters at the fire station. Since Suttons-Bay Bingham provides Advanced Life Support (ALS) services, they’re required by the state to have a paramedic on call at all hours. In Suttons Bay, these emergency workers stay at the fire department overnight for faster response times.
The existing crew quarters are in the dormitory style, with six beds in one room and three beds in another, and two bathrooms. Porter said that one of the positives about the remodeled crew quarters is that it will provide greater privacy to its occupants and separate facilities for men and women, although Porter said they do not currently have a female firefi ghter.
The joint-township fire department was built in the 1970s and expanded in 2005, Porter said. Since then, Porter said that the building has shown some signs of aging, so some reflooring and fresh coats of paint will be included as part of the project.
Also listed in the project cost worksheet are masonry reconstruction; rough and finish carpentry; cabinetry and countertops; exterior windows and door; interior frames, doors, and hardware; plumbing; and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.
“It’s like remodeling a house. Once you get started on one thing, where do you stop?” Porter asked. “We’re changing the flooring in the newer part of the building and we’re probably going to budget to catch the rest of station up next year.”
The total construction cost is somewhat high at $499,242.30. At the Tuesday evening meeting, fire authority board member Sandra Grant —who is also the Bingham Township treasurer — said the fire department can afford the renovations in part because of its conservative spending over the last eight years.
Also at their Nov. 12 meeting, the fire authority:
• Renewed their current insurance plan with Blue Cross Blue Shield, with a monthly total health savings account of $13,593.60.
• Authorized Chief Porter to seek a 2% grant from the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians for two new heart rate monitors. Porter said they already have two heart rate monitors, but since they were acquired in 2010, it’s time to upgrade them. Porter will use a bid from the Kalamazoo medical technologies company Stryker as the basis for the requested grant amount.
