As Steamboat Springs prepares to move forward with the construction of a new fire station and city hall on Tenth Street, the city’s current downtown fire station — at 840 Yampa St. — will soon go up for sale.

The city has completed a commercial appraisal and scheduled an executive session for Tuesday, Feb. 1, to discuss the details of the appraisal and the process of putting the building on the market.

Big Agnes, Inc., who shares the building with the fire station, has first right of refusal, meaning they have the option to purchase the building before a third party would.

Steamboat Deputy City Manager Tom Leeson told Steamboat Springs City Council members at their Tuesday, Jan. 14, meeting that the city has put out a request for proposal for design and construction of their new combined city hall and fire station.

Several council members wanted to ensure that the architect the city hires to design the building would design it with environmental sustainability at the forefront.

In response, Leeson assured council members that sustainability is top of mind for all architects who have expressed interest in the project.

“Just about every firm that submitted qualifications included sustainability in their qualifications,” Leeson said. “This is a big project, so to have that project management expertise is an important step.”

Some council members also asked about ensuring the new city hall is bigger than the current building, as the city hopes to continue expanding its employees, and the current building is old and cramped.

Leeson said the architects will also look at size and space, but a newer building could accommodate more people with less space than an old building would need.

“It’s hard to compare apples to oranges,” Leeson said. “The city hall that we’re in now is an old building, and it’s quite honestly not very efficient.”

The previous City Council opted to ditch the fire station at 840 Yampa St. and combine a needed new city hall with a fire station, agreeing that both current buildings are too small for a growing city with growing organizations.

“This current location is too small and does not handle the appropriate equipment or housing for the firefighters to be there and to sleep there while they’re on shift to respond to calls,” said City Manager Gary Suiter. “Where the firefighters hang out right now is in the ambulance barn across the street.”

The new building will be built at the corner of Tenth Street and Lincoln Avenue, where the city owns a plot of land. Leeson said they hope to break ground on construction by 2023.

Finance Director Kim Weber and Leeson estimated the entire project would cost around $18.7 million or about $728 per square foot.

While the project comes with a high price tag, Leeson said $4 million will come from the mill levy passed in 2019, $5.4 million from the Steamboat Springs Area Fire Protection District, $100,000 from solar grant funds and $1.2 million from Department of Local Affairs grant funds.

To reach Alison Berg, call 970-871-4229 or email aberg@SteamboatPilot.com.