Wheeling, Dist. 21 promise more talk on fire station

The village of Wheeling and Wheeling Township Elementary District 21 vowed to increase communication following a discussion on a proposed fire station.

Village Manager Mark Rooney gave the school board information on the building at its meeting Thursday.

The village is awaiting the finalized purchase of land to the east of London Middle School on Dundee Road for the town's third fire department.

Rooney said the building would house the fire headquarters, which would move from its current location next to village hall at 255 W. Dundee Road. The construction is expected to be completed in the spring of 2009.

Rooney addressed some concerns that have come up on the part of the school district, such as noise issues and safety questions.

He said the village is talking to the Illinois Department of Transportation for the possibility of a traffic light, although he said that might not happen because of an existing bridge over Dundee Road right near the school.

He said the fire chief expects four to five calls a day at the 16,000-square-foot building that would house 11 to 15 personnel.

School board members supported the idea of a neighboring station but said they'd have liked to have known about the proposal earlier.

While Rooney had kept District 21 staff members updated on an informal basis, he apologized for not bringing up the proposal earlier. He said he will make more of a concerted effort to keep the district a part of the design process for the department.

School board member Arlen Gould suggested an annual meeting with the park district and the board on topics like these and a new tax increment financing district that Wheeling is proposing.

"I think this is a wonderful prospect," board President Bill Harrison said of the fire department. "There's so many joint benefits we can get out of this."

Rooney said the district can also talk to the department about education projects in the future.