By Sara QuamThe Luverne City Council could put funding for a Fire Hall expansion on a special election ballot sometime this year.There isn’t a cost estimate yet, because an architectural firm hasn’t made plans. However, longtime local contractor Virgil Christensen has drawn preliminary plans for the expansion. He built the original in the 1960s.Fire Department Chief Don Deutsch said, "Our goal is to have everything under one roof."A new truck coming in just three weeks has to be temporarily stored in the city’s electric department building because the Fire Hall is too low for it to fit.The preliminary plans call for an addition to the west that would double the length of the building and bring it up to code.While handicap accessibility may not seem necessary for firefighters who have to pass physical tests in order to serve, it is necessary to be handicap accessible as a public building. The Fire Department hosts public education activities and annual visits from school children, who may have disabilities or be in wheelchairs.The addition of more bays will bring all the equipment inside one building and make everything easier to access for emergencies. The drive-through bays will mean fire department members won’t have to back out in every case.The addition of four bays leaves one open for the future growth of the department.The 37 firefighters are also a part of rope rescue teams and deal with hazardous materials, and space is needed for that equipment.The building can expand on existing property without having to purchase more land to the west. However, parking may be an issue in the future.The Luverne City Council will decide at a future meeting whether to get detailed cost estimates from an architect. Then the council will decide whether to put borrowing money for an expansion on a ballot.