Construction Begins on Burlington Fire Station No. 3
With officers and firefighters arrayed behind them, representatives of Burlington Fire Department leadership, Station 3 committee member Dick Benne, Burlington City Council members, City Manager Chad Bird and members of the project team from Carl A. Nelson & Company and Klingner & Associates, P.C., turn spades of dirt July 29, 2026, in celebration of the start of construction of Burlington's new Station #3. Located in the northwest corner of Burlington, the fire and ambulance crews stationed there will provide faster response times to nearby portions of the community that are more distant to the Central Fire Station downtown, or Station #2, on the city's south side near Southeast Iowa Regional Airport. Once completed, the new station will replace temporary ambulance quarters first established in 2018. CANCO
1 month, 3 weeks ago
Carl A. Nelson & Company is serving as construction manager and general construction contractor for the $6.6 million station, which will improve emergency response in northwest Burlington, West Burlington and nearby rural townships.
Ground was broken July 29, 2026, on a new fire station serving portions of Burlington, Iowa, neighboring West Burlington, and adjacent rural townships. Once completed in 2027, the fire and ambulance crews based there will be positioned to provide speedier response times for emergency calls, helping to put all of Burlington within a five-minute response zone.
A crowd of about 100 people, including members of the public, other City of Burlington staff, Burlington Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors and project team members, turned out for the ceremony.
“On behalf of our entire team, thank you for taking the time to join us to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Burlington Fire Station #3. Today marks an exciting milestone for the city of Burlington, the Burlington Fire Department, and everyone who has helped bring this project to this point,” said Aaron Engberg, Carl A. Nelson & Company Director of Business Development, during welcoming remarks.
The $7 million project was approved by voters in 2023 but was delayed due to the city's inability to achieve acceptable bids from an earlier contractor/architect team. Earlier bids approached $9 million.
Late in 2025, the City Council changed partners to achieve the desired result, engaging Carl A. Nelson & Company as construction manager and Klingner & Associates, P.C., as architect. A shift from designing from scratch to a scaled-down and simplified plan based on the existing southside Station #2 produced bids that landed within budget at $6.6 million, including the earlier purchase of the North Roosevelt Avenue site, planning fees and project contingencies. Construction contracts totaling $3.8 million were awarded in June, with all but one contractor — a Quad Cities-based fire protection company — being located in Burlington. In addition to being construction manager in charge of the overall construction, Carl A. Nelson & Company was encouraged to bid by city officials and was awarded the general construction package, which covers most of the building construction.
Following are highlights of remarks from speakers at the groundbreaking:
“This new station represents much more than bricks and mortar. It will improve emergency response times in the northwest portion of our city while strengthening our ability to respond across the entire community.”
“This station will stand as a lasting investment to our community and a symbol for our shared commitment to serving Burlington for generations to come.”
“More importantly, I’m proud that we chose to partner with Carl A. Nelson. … We appreciate their leadership on this project.”
“We also appreciate that every firm, every contractor is going to have local roots with the exception of the sprinkler fire alarm company. So it’s just absolutely fantastic.”
“When a community comes together and says we value quality of life, including our public safety, that just fills me with an immense pride in terms of what I do. … And this project is going to be a symbol of that.”
“This is a testament to our community outpouring of support and love for what you do. And we are proud of that. We’re proud of what you do.”
“What a proud symbol this will be for our community, and more importantly, it will mean reduced response times, a safer city, and a true commitment to our firefighters.”
“At least 30 years and four fire chiefs later, you are turning a vision into a reality.”
“And today we break ground on a facility that truly matches the excellence of the crew serving inside.”
“I’d like to start off today by saying thank you to Chief Toops, the fire department, the City of Burlington, Carl A. Nelson, and the rest of the team for working together and for trusting us to bring this vision of the new Fire Station No. 3 to reality.”
“I think we are all excited to see the plans on paper finally turn into a real building.”
“As local architects and engineers, we are also extremely proud to be a part of this design and to assist with the project that protects the community that we all call home.”
“Burlington is a small enough community where, as contractors, Carl A. Nelson and the others that are going to help build this, there is a sense of pride at the opportunity to be able to work on a project that serves the community. And I think that’s a big deal. And I think that’s special.”
“And as a builder, we’re not firefighters, but we’re builders. And this is an opportunity for myself and our staff and all the other contractors that are going to help on this to use what we’re gifted at and use our time to serve them so they can serve the community at large. And I think, as Chad mentioned, there’s a lot of joy in that. I know that’s true for me.”
Members of the project team from Carl A. Nelson & Company and Klingner & Associates, P.C., take a turn at shoveling some dirt at the Burlington Fire Department's Station #3 groundbreaking ceremony. CANCO
