An architect was hired Monday to design the second firehouse in Fort Dodge.

The City Council hired 10Fold Architecture + Engineering, of Ames, to design the structure planned for the 300 block of A Street. The company will be paid $321,000.

Money to pay for that contract will come from the city’s share of the countywide property tax for emergency medical service.

The building will not replace the current firehouse at Central Avenue and 15th Street. It is intended to provide faster response to the city’s west side and to areas of Webster County where the Fire Department provides ambulance service. The site was selected to provide quick access to U.S. Highway 169 and Second Avenue South.

A timeline included in the architect’s contract calls for seeking bids from contractors in October and November with construction starting very late this year if weather permits.

Councilman Cameron Nelson was absent from the otherwise unanimous vote to hire the architecture firm.