TOWER— The status of the Tower Fire Department was the subject of considerable discussion here on Monday, as the city council heard from unhappy residents and a new council member in the wake of two recent fires on the city’s south side.
In both cases, the Tower Fire Department relied heavily on Breitung Township firefighters for personnel, equipment, and incident command.
Sherry Anderson, whose elderly father was injured in a house explosion and fire last month, urged the council under public input to consider changes given the limited staffing and experience on the city department. “I just want to be sure no other family has to go through what we went through,” she said.
Anderson talked about waiting for firefighters to apply water after Tower’s primary pumper failed to start due to a bad battery. Then, when Breitung arrived, they tried connecting to the closest hydrant, only to discover it was not operable. She estimated it took close to 45 minutes to get water on the fire. “It seemed like an eternity,” she said. “Thank god for Breitung and Rolando (a neighbor) for informing them what was going on.”
She said there were live wires lying on the ground and her father’s truck was never moved away from the blaze. “The Tower Fire Department assessed nothing,” she said.
Anderson urged that the city department merge with Breitung. “I just have full respect for Breitung,” she said.
Anderson’s concerns were echoed by Matt Lenci, whose garage and a vehicle were damaged from the heat of the fire that destroyed the garage of Dave Wanless and Laura Garafolo just days after the fire at the Anderson residence. Lenci also credited Breitung with getting the intense garage fire under control and he warned council members that the city could well be liable in the event of a severe injury. “If somebody dies there’s going to be a major investigation,” he said.
During later council discussion on the issue, council member Joe Morin said he wanted more information before agreeing to changes on the department and he urged hiring an outside consultant or retired fire chief to assess the current status of the department and make recommendations for changes. “I think there’s some local folks that would be qualified to peel that onion back and really look close at things…so, then we can make an informed decision,” he said.
But new council member Dave Wanless, whose garage was destroyed last month, wanted a quicker response from the council. “I can tell you from experience, and I don’t mean to be derogatory, but thank god for Breitung because I’m telling you right now, our Tower Fire Department is non-existent.
“Is an independent consultant really needed for something that I think everyone knows right here,” he said.
Mayor Dave Setterberg sought to defend the city’s department, claiming that the city’s response to Wanless’s garage fire was better than at the earlier house fire, and that the city’s pumper started that time.
Setterberg said he didn’t want the city’s department to be defined by one poor response to a house fire and he said Tower had responded to a recent fire in Soudan where Breitung had a limited response from its volunteers. He said he’s heard from those involved in other recent fires that gave the city’s department generally good marks.
“I think you have to look at the big picture,” said Setterberg.
Council member Kevin Norby said he would support an outside consultant, calling it a “wellness check” for the department. But he said there may be some immediate action needed to ensure that vehicles will start when needed and that hydrants are working when needed.
Setterberg said two hydrants that are known to be non-functioning are already set for replacement once the weather warms.
Morin said the department could be doing daily checks to make sure batteries are charged and plugged in and suggested the department should have a regular maintenance log to document the steps taken to maintain vehicles and equipment. “We could do that tomorrow,” he said.
Wanless said he wanted to make sure the council didn’t take the issue lightly.
“We’re certainly not,” responded Setterberg. “It’s on the calendar for tonight to talk about.”
Morin agreed. “We’re not kicking it down the road, we’re not masking anything, not to be inactive, right?” said Morin. “We’re taking action.”
In other business, the council voted to retain the services of the Stillwater-based Schutz CPA firm to serve as the city’s auditor for this year. The closure of longtime auditing firm Walker, Giroux, and Hahne has left many Iron Range cities without an auditing firm. At last month’s meeting, clerk-treasurer Michael Schultz said that it was proving difficult to find a replacement firm. At the time, Wanless had offered to help make calls and Schultz reported that his calling had found two firms willing to do the job.
The city received a full proposal from Stillwater-based Schutz CPA, including a detailed scope of work and a peer reference from another auditing firm. Schutz CPA is a husband-and-wife firm, and proposed to do the job for $11,000-$13,000 plus out-of-pocket expenses. That was roughly a third of what the city had been paying with Walker, Giroux, and Hahne, and well under half the cost of the only other offer, from Duluth-based Esterbrooks CPA, which estimated the cost at $28,800-$30,200.
Schultz said he initially had some reservations about the proposal from Schutz, but after reviewing their documentation and talking with them by phone, he is comfortable that they understand the job and what it will entail. “Based on everything I see they are fine,” said Schultz, noting that as a small company they keep their overhead low.
Schultz said the company provides its auditing services remotely and will rely on city staff to provide them with the needed reports and other documents. While Walker, Giroux used to send staff to work out of city hall for weeks at a time during audit season, Schultz said they had begun to work mostly remotely as well in recent years.
In other business, the council:
• Approved a request from the Wagoner Trails Club to serve as fiscal agent for a $200,000 regional trails grant that would accomplish several projects, including rerouting a portion of the Prospectors ATV trail and clear the way for the Mesabi Trail to come directly through Tower. The Prospectors will be providing a $66,000 local match for the grant, if approved.
The grant would also encompass improvements to the Ancient Cedars Trail and create a new boardwalk trail connecting Hoodoo Point to the Pine Ridges Trail system.
• Gave the green light for bidding of a culvert and manhole replacement project on N. Second St. St. Louis County is handling the project, but the city will need to pay a portion of the cost. That estimate recently jumped about $10,000, to just over $43,000. But city officials are eager to fix the many culverts and one manhole in particular that have heaved significantly, creating rough conditions along the roadway, part of which is a designated county road.
• Approved the hiring of Tony Yeley as an EMR with the Tower Area Ambulance Service.
• Approved a request to pay the electric bills for the Tower-Soudan Historical Society for their operation of the train depot museum. The annual cost ranged from $815 in 2024 to $1,016 the year before.
• Took an initial look at an application form for the new Gundersen Endowment Fund Committee, which will be responsible for handing out funding from the Gundersen endowment now managed by the Duluth-Superior Community Foundation. A revised draft should be available for consideration at the council’s March meeting.
• Also took an initial look at a new rental policy for the Herbert Lamppa Civic Center.
• Approved the low bid from the Timberjay to serve as the city’s official newspaper for 2025.