St. Francis City Hall and Fire Station

Supporting Growth and Addressing Infrastructure Needs

The former City Hall, previously located in a building off Highway 47, faced challenges with energy efficiency, aging building needs, and inadequate space for staff and operations. As the city grew, administration demands grew as well. Over the course of 20 years, the population of St. Francis increased by roughly 3,000 people, resulting in additional roads, permitting requests, and utility needs.

The former Fire Department operated out of a structure built in 1965. It had been through several additions to keep up with residential needs but had received little in regard to updates since the last addition in 1996. There were many issues that needed to be addressed, including aging doors, paint, flooring, and lighting; outdated ventilation and heating systems; and upgraded apparatus needs and storage.

The new City Hall and Fire Department provides an improved community asset and sets the standard for the downtown corridor. It provides city council chambers, training and conference rooms, a fitness room, fire bunks and day rooms, apparatus bays, a public plaza, and ample parking—all in one convenient location.

Engaging the Community

The team conducted outreach to local subcontractors to engage the people who live and work in the community. To encourage small- to medium-sized companies to participate, we created smaller packaged work scopes and made ourselves available to answer questions and ensure they fully understood the project and the bidding requirements. In our experience, when community members are engaged on a local project, they feel a sense of pride and go the extra mile to ensure the best results. This has definitely been the case for the St. Francis community!