Council weighs rec center sale, fire department radio upgrade

The Arcadia city council discussed the 2027 budget for the Arcadia-Glencoe Fire Department (AGFD) and the future of the city recreation center. 

The council held a special meeting last Tuesday to discuss the issues with the city planning commission providing input on the rec center and Fire Chief Tyler Pientok discussing the AGFD’s budget.

The council discussed the advantages and disadvantages of selling the Arcadia Recreation Center building that is in need of repairs. Mayor John Kimmel stated again that there are potential buyers interested in the building if it went up for a bid. 

The city currently does not use the building, but the school district and Arcadia Youth Association (AYA) utilize it. A factor the council debated was possibly limiting athletic space in Arcadia if it is sold to a buyer. City Clerk Angela Berg said that the AYA uses it for volleyball and basketball. The AYA is a nonprofit group that is not affiliated with the city. Berg said the building costs the city about $6,000 to $10,000 annually, and that it remains dormant for a fair amount of the year.

“It does have a lot of amenities in it that would make it attractive for keeping it in some sort of athletic use or something like that,” said Kimmel. “I know that the person that approached me would keep it in athletic use.”

The deliberation continued with specified contractual agreements that would need to be seen before any bids could take place. A consensus was reached to research the building and the potential repair costs before putting the building up for bid. The planning commission agreed to reconvene once the building is inspected again. The conversation will resume at the Oct. 6 meeting.

Pientok discussed next year’s fire department budget in detail. The council approved the budget, which includes funding for new radios.

“Their budget is still a 4.25% increase from the 2026 budget, with the city’s share of that budget to be $126,621.88,” Berg said.

“We run 22 handhelds down there; most of it covers what we can do on a scene,” said Pientok. “What they will not do, though, is WISCOM, and they’re not dual-band.”

WISCOM is a statewide land mobile radio system designed to provide communication among public safety agencies. The dual-band radios can operate on two different frequency bands, allowing for greater interoperability between radio systems.

Project 25 radios, which follow digital radio communication standards, were also discussed as a potential future upgrade. Pientok said those radios could be purchased if the department receives grant or other funding.

For now, the two new radios will be dual-band and capable of using WISCOM.