GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — City commissioners are set to vote Tuesday on the final batch of funding for the fire department's new training facility and complete work on the city's public service center.
WATCH: Fire training facility, public service center funding to be voted on Tuesday
The commission's vote on $45 million in capital improvement bonds comes as city officials say the demand for services — from trash pickup to emergency response — has grown alongside the city's population.
"Our calls for service are always going up," Grand Rapids Assistant Fire Chief Ed Braman said.
Braman said updated facilities are essential to keeping pace with that growth.
"We're constantly evolving, what we respond to is new everyday. We have to have facilities that are up to date and be able to house people in in a safe manner," Braman said.
Last year, the city opened a new $98 million public service center and the city's first new fire station in decades. If approved, the $45 million in bonds would provide up to $34 million for the facility, and up to $10 million for the service center.
The three-story training facility, set to open in Spring of 2027, will allow Grand Rapids and other nearby fire departments to train year round. The facility will feature a five-story training tower that will allow police and firefighters to perform rescue drills in a safe, controlled, and up to date environment.
Braman said the facility will better prepare firefighters as new threats emerge.
"Our job is constantly evolving, which then requires a new training. So as we move our mission forward, we also have to train as if our lives depend on it, and this facility here is going to help us with that," Braman said.
The commission meeting is set for 2 p.m. Tuesday. Click here to view the agenda, or to click here to watch.
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