The City of Superior is going through the application process for an EPA Climate Justice grant. Applications are due in November, and there are multiple projects the city hopes to be able to fund.  

“ The grant is to help bring elements to the community that help the community cope with climate change. So as we warm up, as we get wetter, as we get more severe storms, things that make our community more resilient to those weather events,” explained Superior Fire Department Chief Camron Vollbrecht.  “As part of that grant, we want to use some of those funds to replace the station and build a new station in the north end of Superior.”

Since the headquarters building was replaced in 2018-2019, Station 2 is the oldest station in Superior. 

“We have to be here 24-7-365. Our response times are less than four minutes to our city. So if someone calls 911, we have to be prepared to respond to that,” explained Vollbrecht. “Having a building that’s adequate for our folks to live and work in, they live there for 48 hours at a time, housing our apparatus, and the ability to have them respond in an appropriate manner with the appropriate equipment is important to the health and safety of our community.”

The Superior Fire Department held an open house Friday afternoon at North End Fire Station to show community members replacement plans and answer any questions. Kenneth H. Nelson is new to the community and attended the open house with his wife. 

“I like it. This is the first I’ve heard about it,” said Nelson. “I worked in the processing and distribution center for the post office. I understand what [Vollbrecht]’s saying, and it makes sense to me. I see no downsides.”

The new fire station will be larger and include community space that can be used as a storm shelter. 

“Not everyone’s home is robust enough if we’re dealing with severe storms, and as our climate warms, we’re starting to see more and more extreme weather,” said Vollbrecht. “So the fact that we historically haven’t got a lot of severe storms in this area is probably going to be changing. Having a place for people to seek refuge and shelter from storms is important.”

The storm shelter will double as an air-conditioned place for people to escape the heat. 

“Having a space in the summer where we if do have extended heating periods, people can find a cool place to rest and relax is important for their health and for their safety,” said Vollbrecht.

The grant would also cover a few other City of Superior projects, including broadband construction.

“This environmental justice grant goes a long way. So it can support a lot of different things because communities have different needs,” explained Connect Superior Broadband Manager Stephanie Becken. “One of them can be infrastructure, and fiber broadband is a named item in that infrastructure.” 

Phase one of Connect Superior is already funded, with work beginning this fall. The EPA grant would cover the next phase. 

“It’s not just about the physical environment. We’re also looking at your health environment,” said Becken. “So when you are able to have an excellent broadband connection, you are able to attend your health health appointment virtually. You’re able to attend school virtually. You’re able to do all of those things that you’re supposed to be able to do online. But when you have access that is not good enough, you get in your car and you drive.” 

If the City of Superior gets the EPA grant, the construction for Station 2 would be done in 2026-27. If all funding needs are met for broadband construction, the city hopes to finish building broadband access across all of Superior within the next 2-3 years.