Canton Township plans green energy fire station
A new addition to the Canton Township’s lineup of fire stations could also be Michigan’s first net-zero fire station.
Although engineering is still in the research and planning phases, the township Planning Commission approved a site plan May 6 for a new fire station, the township’s fourth, at the southwest corner of Michigan Avenue and South Lilley Road.
A fourth station has long been in the plan for the township, said Fire Chief Christopher Stoecklein, and now that it’s coming to fruition, the current township Board of Trustees has also expressed interest in incorporating alternative energy to develop a full green energy net-zero station.
“We’re researching to figure out the most cost-effective way of having alternative energy in the station,” Stoecklein said. “We’re looking at some geothermal wells as well as some solar panels. They did do some test wells down there, and we’ve got the results back saying that we can do geothermal at that location, so that’s a great start.”
Total costs have not yet been determined and will be a factor in the final decision, he noted.
“Hopefully we can move forward and be the first full green energy net zero station (in Michigan),” Stoecklein added. “Ann Arbor…was on their way to that, but I’ve heard that they’ve stalled out, and so we’re kind of in the front
running here now.”
A need
While the specifics on green energy are still pending, the need for a new station has been long documented.
“For many years Canton Township has planned for a fourth fire station in the southeast part of the community,” Township Planner Patrick Sloan said. “With about 25% of the service calls in the community coming from the southeastern quadrant, a fire station in this area will reduce response time nearby.”
Architecturally, the new station will look “pretty much identical” to Canton’s Fire Station No. 2 on Warren Road, said Mike Malone of Partners in Architecture. The firm created plans for the $6.5 million Warren Road station rebuild in 2021 and will use the same plans for the new station.
“The only difference here is there’s no hose tower,” Malone said. “We have a hose tower at Station 2, it’s not needed here.”
Funding
Last year, the township received a $7 million appropriation from the state to build the fire station, and recently received an additional $1.7 million federal grant for the project, Stoecklein said.
Between the two funding sources, he said, the township should have the entire cost of the station covered, depending on pricing for alternative energy components and other options.