Sugar Grove to get new fire station

The Sugar Grove Fire Protection District is moving ahead with plans to build a 9,000-square-foot fire station on two acres in the southwestern section of unincorporated Denny Road Estates.

The site is just north of Denny Road and south of Interstate 88.

The Sugar Grove plan commission approved the plans July 30. The plans will be on the agenda for village board approval Aug. 19.

According to Fire Chief Marty Kunkel, bids will be opened Tuesday.

"If prices are favorable, the fire department board of trustees will want to move forward immediately," Kunkel said. Construction could begin as early as next month.

"We've known for a while that we need a satellite to better serve the high population in Prestbury," Kunkel said. "We want a response time no longer than six minutes. We've had some responses in those areas that took longer than six minutes."

Kunkel said the new fire station will also serve Hannaford Farms and Stratford Woods.

It will include a combination training and community room and there will be an emphasis on energy efficiency.

"It will be designed with a green approach," Kunkel said. "We'll have a geothermal system that takes cool air from underground during the summer and warm air during the winter. We'll also have a cistern that will collect rain water off the roof to use for fighting fires and to wash the trucks."

The fire protection district bought 10.5 acres for the project. The land will be annexed to the village for water and sanitary service. The other 8 acres not needed for construction will be sold to a developer for residential use, Kunkel said.