St. Charles officials await bids on new firehouse

Plans for a new fire station in downtown St. Charles are already on the books. So is a compromise that makes all the neighbors of the proposed site happy.

On Monday, the city council pushed the project forward to see if the true costs of the project meet their expectations.

City staff expect to release the project for construction bids and receive quotes back within the next couple of months. The council approved the planning documents and permits Monday night.

The city is keeping their spending budget for the project close to the vest until the bids come back. However, early estimates placed the cost of the new firehouse at about $4 million.

City officials have praised the plan for it's potential to increase fire response times, allow for better fire equipment and save taxpayers money. The firehouse would be built on a city-owned lot just across First Avenue from the current downtown firehouse.

That location had been a point a contention for neighboring businesses who feared the construction would hamper business and create an eyesore in the downtown.

"This is a project that has had significant scrutiny by all the neighbors, businesses and residents," said Mayor Don DeWitte Monday night. "We feel that we have been up front in getting their input."

In a compromise, the plans now call for a one-story addition to the south side of the city's Century Station building that houses fire administrative staff.

The addition would include three vehicle bays and storage space. Firefighters and paramedics will have living space inside renovated areas of the Century Station building.

There was no opposition to the project Monday night.

The city is bidding the project in a design-build format. In that process, both the design and the construction aspects are overseen by a single contractor. Uniting those aspects typically cuts the financial risk and time needed to construct a project.