New building for emergency management?

The Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency is looking at a new location.
Currently, Emergency Management Coordinator Brian Hamman operates out of offices at the Highland Annex Building. However, under discussion by the Montgomery County Emergency Management Commission, is a move that would place Hamman’s office, as well as all the emergency management equipment, in a location right behind the sheriff’s office.
“We’ve been looking for a bigger location to house all of our equipment, such as our trailers which are stored outside. Initially we were looking at putting up a garage on the empty lot on the south side of the sheriff’s office on Washington St. It would not affect any of their parking. After some discussion, there was also the consideration to put my office, as well as a bigger meeting and training area,” Hamman said.
Hamman added he quoted the cost of a finished building from several companies, including Morton Buildings. Hamman also met with architect Daric O’Neal with Alley Poyner Maccietto, who agreed to take on the project and help through the bidletting process.
“The design we came up with is a building that is 42  by 72 feet, with a garage portion with three 10-by-12-foot bay doors to move equipment in and out. The garage storage is 14 feet high, and the office storage is 10 feet high. The garage space is roughly 40 feet wide and the office space is roughly 30 feet wide. We’re looking at a total cost of around $250,000 to $300,000. That’s from the ground up, turn-key, fully furnished,” Hamman advised.
Hamman said there were a few hurdles to climb before the project moved forward further.
“I would have to request permission from the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors for permission to build on their land through a lease agreement. I would then have to go to the city of Red Oak,” Hamman said. “We’ve checked the variances, and their set-backs are 20 feet from the sidewalk and 20 feet from the property line. That would rule out this location if they didn’t approve it. Depth-wise, we have enough space to go back, it’s on the property line that we run into it.
The proposed site is the only open land owned by the county. If unable to get permission from either the county or the city, Hamman said they would have to seek out other land to purchase, which might prove too costly.
Bryant Amos, who sits on the commission, said if the plan were to move forward, it only made sense to build next to the sheriff’s office and the fire station, and there was no room to build next to the fire station.
“The sheriff’s office, to me, is the natural fit where you would want something like this,” commented Amos.
Hamman said there were two options to fund the building if they chose to build. The first option would be to tax or levy the full amount up-front. That would triple the annual contribution from the county. The other option would be through a loan from one of the area banks.
Bank Iowa offered a 10-year fixed rate loan at 3 percent, though Hamman said the percent could change before the contract was signed. The monthly payments came out to $2,415, or a quarterly payment of $7,260.
Houghton State Bank offered a 10-year, 3.85 percent fixed rate loan, with a $2,514 monthly payment. Neither bank had a penalty for an early payoff. Hamman also sought loan information from another bank, but was unable to receive any information. Hamman pursued options through SWIPCO, but was told no programs were available.
The USDA offered programs, but said with the interest rates where they were, pursuing a local lender was the better option. Also, the USDA was a federal agency and would not compete with local lenders unless they refused to lend.
The building would be owned by the EMA, and would be insured through them.
The commission members were in agreement that it would be a benefit to the fire department and sheriff’s office, with Hamman’s work with the E-911 communications center, to have his office located next to the sheriff’s office. Also, his equipment being out in the open put the EMA equipment at risk.
“We haven’t been dinged by the insurance company, but they did say there was a risk with having our trailers outside. We have had some storm claims already,” commented Hamman.
The commission approved having Hamman seek permission from the board of supervisors and the city council to move forward with the project.
In other business, the commission:
Approved an agreement for a Regional Local Emergency Planning committee with the Pottawattamie and Mills County Emergency Management commissions.
Approved a memorandum of understanding between the Iowa Region of the American Red Cross and the Montgomery County EMA.