Bay City on Nov. 3 heard a report from Redstone Architects concluding Fire Station 5 is structurally and operationally obsolete and recommending against a limited renovation that would still fall short of modern standards.

Daniel Redstone of Redstone Architects told the City Commission the existing Smith Street station, built in 1965 with an addition in the 1980s and about 4,900 square feet, is "in poor condition to critical condition," with structural deterioration, failing mechanical and electrical systems and spaces that do not meet NFPA standards for hot/warm/cold zones. "The interior of the building would really need to be fully demolished to accommodate the space needs and the operational workflows," Redstone said.

Redstone outlined three cost options: a partial renovation (not meeting the full space needs), a renovate-and-expand option (about $3.4 million for roughly 8,000 square feet) and a full new build (about $4.0–4.5 million). He said the full program to meet current operational and health standards for firefighters would require about 8,200 square feet, roughly 3,000 square feet more than the current facility.

The consultant also presented a runtime analysis by Beckett & Rader. With Station 5 kept open at its current location, the department would meet a four-minute response-time threshold for about 98% of incidents; closing Station 5 and operating from Station 4 would drop some structure-fire coverage to about 88.5% (below the 90% benchmark cited). Overall coverage across call types would remain in the low 90s. "If Station 5 closed, you'd still, for the most part, meet that NFPA requirement for a 4-minute response time," Redstone said, while noting the structure-fire figure would be the most affected.

Commissioners pressed on several points. Commissioner Coakley asked whether the consultant considered staffing and mutual aid; Redstone said the cost options were hard-construction estimates and did not include staffing. Commissioners also asked about legal liability for operating below NFPA thresholds; Redstone declined to offer a legal opinion and the commission agreed to ask the city attorney for a legal memo on potential exposure.

PFAS contamination at Station 2 emerged repeatedly in the discussion. Commissioners said Station 2s contamination and building deterioration make it a top priority; staff reported prior excavation and testing work and said a federal grant application that could provide roughly $900,000 toward remediation is in process.

Several commissioners urged looking at the systemwide picture rather than making an isolated decision on Station 5. Redstone recommended that instead of renovating Station 5 the city consider renovating and expanding Station 4 or building a modern north-side station on a larger site.

The commission did not vote on a capital action for Station 5 on Nov. 3. The mayor announced a public-safety infrastructure meeting set for Nov. 17 to further discuss station priorities, timelines and funding options.

Costs, response-time tradeoffs, PFAS cleanup and staffing were the central concerns commissioners asked staff to examine as part of a long-range capital plan.