Rundle board calls for written code determinations before picking fire-station design

Velma Hayes, a Rundle select board member, said the architects have not verified whether a 15-foot rear extension will force the entire station to meet current building-code requirements and asked the board not to treat that claim as settled without written citations. "And until we see those code sections and we can verify that that's accurate and that the architects have actually determined that it's going to be required, then that should not be in consideration," Hayes said.

The group pressed Bluff Construction and staff for clarity about what would trigger a code upgrade — for example, whether adding sleeping quarters or a decontamination room would change occupancy classification or fire-rating triggers. The moderator and multiple participants agreed the next step is a written determination from the architect or code official and additional in-person inspection: the board asked Port City (the design firm) to return with the requested code citations and a clearer assessment of whether the 15-foot addition (Plan 1C) would require upgrades across the existing building.

The board said it will not finalize a preferred design until it receives those citations, a turning-radius survey and updated cost inputs that account for any code-driven scope increases. That list of deliverables will be used to populate a spreadsheet comparison of Plan 1A, 1B and 1C at the next meeting.