corner of Birch Street and Malden Avenue, Eau Claire. Image: Google

The City of Eau Claire is moving toward buying land on the city’s eastern edge to build a new fire station. The City Council voted 9-1 on Dec. 13 to proceed with what’s known as “friendly condemnation” to purchase the property at the corner of Birch Street and Malden Avenue. While the city expects to be able to negotiate a purchase price agreeable to both parties, according to council documents the condemnation process was necessary so the city could avoid being liable for environmental problems at the 5.7-acre site, which was once a landfill. If the sale is successful, the city will build a replacement for Fire Station No. 10, 559 N. Hastings Way, which was built in 1949.  According to the Leader-Telegram, the city has budgeted between $3.6 million and $4.2 million for that purpose, but the project could be more expensive than that. Construction could begin as early as next spring, the newspaper reported.