The new training tower for the Bad Axe Fire Department is a three story structure on a 50 foot by 50 foot slab of concrete and was competed at the end of June.

Bad Axe Area Fire Chief John Hunt told the Huron County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday that he doesn't understand why the county's building and zoning department is seeking permits and fees for a fire training tower that's already been constructed.

Hunt spoke during the public comment period during Tuesday morning's regular scheduled commissioners' meeting. The three-story training tower was constructed on the fire station property on Hanselman Street in June.

The fire chief told commissioners he had approached Zoning and Planning Commission Director Jeff Smith prior to the tower's construction with schematics and got the impression zoning and planning did not "need to be involved" much and the fire department may have needed an electrical permit.

“The day that the tower was awarded I came in to see (Smith) and gave him a set of drawings,” said Hunt. “They didn’t think that they needed to be involved that much, they just said if there was electrical involved that (we) would need an electrical permit. I got the impression that nobody felt it was necessary (to get a permit), so I let it be."

Hunt then went in prior to the concrete being poured for the base of the tower to make sure that he was good to go forward with the project.

Hunt then explained after the day after the structure was built at the end of June, the building and zoning department contacted him saying that they needed a permit for the new tower.

“I don’t feel like they need a permit for it,” Hunt said. “There is no electrical going to it. It is just a concrete slab with, basically, scaffolding standing there. It is not a permanent structure, and it is not an occupied structure other than for training purposes.”

When asked about this after the meeting, Hunt wondered why the department was required to obtain a permit for the training tower.

“It took about six weeks from the approval of the grant to having it built,” said Hunt “I went in there before we started this to make sure everyone knew what was happening and so there would be no hiccups.”

Once the structure was delivered to the department it was constructed in just a day, ready to be used for training.

During final board comments, the commissioners offered to reach out to Smith following the meeting to hear more details about the permit situation for the fire department. The board then agreed to listen to the situation to try and find a solution for everyone involved. There was no further comment on the situation currently.

The Bad Axe Fire Department received $107,435.00 in grant money back in May that Governor distributed to over 60 different communities for use in first responders training. This along with $25,000 in approved ARPA funding that the fire department received for the facility helped get this tower funded.

The new tower stands three stories high on a 50-by-50-foot concrete slab on the fire station property. The department will use the tower for training scenarios thought the year.