The members of the fire department have been working diligently to prepare the fire station for the remodeling work and to finalize the plans and permits for the remodel.  We have, unfortunately, run into several roadblocks in this process, from the minor to the more difficult to resolve. The most severe of our delays is an unexpectedly bad soil compaction test for the area we were planning to expand into at the end of the fire station nearest the trash compactor. This test showed that that area and the area immediately behind the fire station are not sufficiently compacted for building on—a problem the Water & Sewer building has recently been discovered to share—and will need to be reinforced before construction can begin.  This, plus the effect of the improving economy on material and labor costs, is squeezing our budget and creating delays as we revise plans to accommodate the issues.  We are working to resolve these issues in the best and most cost effective manner, but they have had the unavoidable effect of delaying the start of construction until the spring of next year.  We will be keeping the community informed as this process continues and will send out updates via our group email and our website as more concrete dates for construction are established.