Baldwin visits site for $5M center
United States Senator Tammy Baldwin arrived in Prairie du Chien on Monday, July 24, to acknowledge five million dollars secured in rural development funds to build a new Public Safety Center for the town’s emergency services.
Baldwin toured the current fire and police departments before arriving at the proposed site for the building. In attendance were Mayor David Hemmer, City Administrator Chad Abrams, City Planner Nate Gilberts and Police Chief Kyle Teynor among other city officials and employees.
“Visiting the fire department and police department made it obvious why this community needs to both consolidate for public safety purposes but also the space requirements. They’ve outgrown their antiquated, current quarters.” Baldwin said.
Baldwin stated plans for the new facility and location will be a safer option to house fire, police and other emergency services. Baldwin noted Prairie’s volunteer firefighters comprise a large portion of the service. “They should be provided with a facility that matches what they give.” According to a release from Baldwin’s office, the priority of the center is to keep the community safe and facilitate critical work.
The new building is part of a larger initiative to improve public services in the region. Platteville will be building a new fire department.
“Whether it’s equipment for fire departments or police departments or the facilities themselves, I’m really happy to step up and deliver these funds.” Baldwin said. The senator noted the money would cover half the cost of construction.
The new facility is mapped to be roughly 30,000 feet, according to Abrams and Gilberts. The current fire station won’t be tore down, and city officials are in the process of exploring options to allocate the property to other community needs.