The City of Wausau’s goal was ultimately a replacement facility for the existing satellite Station No. 2 serving the city’s west side. Through a GIS study, the ideal site location for this new station was located on Highway 52. However, physically it was a challenging site being located on the tangent of a curved busy highway and wedged on top of a hill with developments on all sides of the property. Careful planning went to the design in order to make grading, parking and the return and response of apparatus function to and from the four drive-through apparatus bays. The finished station was created to have two front facades, one that faces Highway 52 but offers no public access, and one in the opposite direction, where the public and staff park and enter. For all its challenges, this site allows the Station to be perched on a predominant hill, is easily seen from many locations throughout the community and serves as a gateway into the City.

This efficient satellite station features complete living quarters with six individual dorm rooms, kitchen, day room, training room, training tower, and exercise room, as well as a state-of-the-art decontamination area and a watch office that overlooks all four drive-through apparatus bays. The interiors in the living quarters of this station were selected with the intentions of making this space feel homey and not institutional in nature. Paired with natural light that floods the interiors throughout, this station is warm and comforting to its occupants.

Though public access is limited to this station, it was designed to have a community zone with access to public toilets and the training room while the rest of the station remains secure. Also located in the community zone is an office for a visiting police officer.