West St. Paul plans for new fire station

By Jake Spitzack | Staff Writer | July 2026

The City of West St. Paul recently approved a $24,500 contract with helseM Architects to create a facilities system plan detailing site options and cost estimates for several major city projects. Foremost is the replacement of South Metro Fire Station #1, expected to break ground no later than 2029. Preliminary site options for the new building are its existing location and the West St. Paul Sports Complex but others may be evaluated as well.

Next up is the renovation or replacement of the police department and City Hall. Those and the fire department are all currently on the same campus at 1616 Humboldt Ave. The fire station, dating to 1999, is undersized by more than 30,000 square feet according to a 2022 assessment, and the other facilities are considered undersized by staff. Parks and recreation facilities and the public works building at 403 Marie Ave. E. will also be evaluated in the study. The 2026 budget shows $24 million earmarked for the fire station and police department projects between 2028 and 2029. The facilities system plan is expected to be presented to the city council by the end of the year. The police department and City Hall both date to 1969 – the former got a $1.2 million remodel in 2020 and the latter a $1.5 million remodel in 2021. A $500,000 parking lot expansion also took place on the campus in 2018 and a new generator to power the entire campus was installed last year. 

• Facebook
• ShareCopied to clipboard