Clarendon Hills officials have begun looking into the possibility of moving the village’s fire station to a joint public safety, public works campus.
If it happens, the existing fire station at 316 Park Avenue would move to the area where the police department, 448 Park Avenue, and Public Works Department, 452 Park Avenue, are now located. The land on which the current fire department is located could then be available for development, said Village Manager Zach Creer.
“The first step is a feasibility study to determine if it is possible at this location,” he said. “Preliminarily, it seems to fit.”
Creer said consideration of this move came about because the village’s downtown master plan identifies so many public uses in the downtown as a possible barrier to commercial development.
“The fire station was identified as a building that does not have enough space due to changes in the fire service since it was built, including having female firefighters and the additional duties such as hazmat response that are now expected of our firefighters and require specialty equipment,” he said.
Creer added that where the new campus would be located is already impervious, so it would not need substantial stormwater improvements.
“The village already owns the land, and it is zoned appropriately,” he said. “It is pretty close to the existing station, so response times would stay the same within seconds.”
Paul Dalen, Clarendon Hills’ retired police chief who now is public safety director, said he believes having the police and fire departments on the same campus would help to facilitate training, such as CPR certification, rescue task force training, and more.
“It also would facilitate familiarization and relationships among staff,” he said.
Dalen said another advantage would be cost-saving measures, such as sharing office staff or training facilities.
“I can see several advantages to the project,” he said. “First, the village would not have to acquire land, so there is a big cost savings there. Second, it would be built to today’s standards, thus improving accommodations for personnel and equipment. Also, locating the station near the police department would help facilitate training between departments.”
Creer added that certain facilities, such as reception, conference rooms, training rooms and workout rooms could be shared between buildings.
“It may encourage certain employees to be shared as well,” he said.
Creer said the first big step is to determine if the move is feasible. A study will be done this summer.
“If it is, the village would need to develop a funding plan, including possible revenue generated by a commercial development at the fire station site,” he said.
As for the cost of building a new fire station, Creer said $600 per square foot seems to be the going price for new public buildings, in part due to the ever-increasing regulations and prevailing wage laws.
“It could possibly be done for $3 to 4 million,” he said. “That amount could be offset by revenue generated by the development on the current site and sale of the village property, effectively providing the community a ‘free’ fire station.”
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
