OBSERVER Photo Workers finish a new roof on a tower at Dunkirk Fire Department headquarters Wednesday. The city Common Council authorized emergency repairs to the tower in September.

A tower at Dunkirk Fire Department headquarters has a new metal roof.

The city Common Council authorized emergency repairs to the aging structure in September. The council’s resolution stated, “An area of imminently dangerous decay has been identified by professional roofers inspecting the old tower … requiring immediate repairs before winter.”

AW Farrell & Son of Dunkirk was authorized to do the roof for $76,280, along with repairs on the tower’s masonry involving a specialist subcontractor.

Well over a century old, the Eagle Street headquarters building is in less than ideal condition. A 2014 study commissioned by the city found that even if it was renovated, the building would not meet then-current standards for fire departments. The study said it would not be a wise financial choice to renovate — it would be better to construct an entirely new building.

However, the envisioned cost for that new headquarters was more than $6.4 million — and that was eight years ago.