Carpentersville to renovate fire station No. 2

Carpentersville will sink more than $2 million into renovating its busiest fire station.

The village will spend $2.2 million to remodel and expand fire station two at 305 Lake Marian Road.

The station serves an area bounded by Wilmette Avenue on the west, Kings Road to the north, Meadowdale Mall to the east and south to village limits.

"It is not going to be the Taj Mahal or anything," Fire Chief John Schuldt said. "It is going to be a functional building to provide the needed services. We want to keep expenses as minimal as we can keep them."

Money from the village's general fund will finance the project, eliminating the burden on taxpayers, Village President Bill Sarto said.

"It is an extensive project that has been on the village's radar for many years," Sarto said. "It is something that needs to be done and we can do it without any impact as far as taxes."

The building, constructed in 1959, needs major structural repairs as well as space because the building was not designed to house firefighters, just equipment.

An additional 2,200 square feet will be added to the existing 4,400 square feet.

Schuldt said the northwest corner of the building has shifted, triggering a large crack to form along the wall and floor of the building.

Those cracks likely were caused 15 years ago when the fire protection district removed fuel tanks stored underground and failed to adequately backfill the land, Schuldt said.

And since four firefighters and one captain now man the station 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Schuldt said larger and gender-separate living quarters -- like sleeping areas, bathrooms and showers -- are needed.

"Right now, the firefighters are eating, sleeping and training in the same area," Schuldt said of the cramped conditions. "Our other stations have sleeping areas for men and women that are partitioned off."

Schuldt said the renovations would also include meeting rooms, a workout area and additional bathroom amenities.

Though fire station one was also built in 1959, that complex at 213 Spring St in the Old Town neighborhood underwent remodeling in 2000. The village's third station at 5000 Sleepy Hollow Road was built on the west side in 2001.