Rolling Meadows may delay new fire station

The Rolling Meadows City Council is considering once again seeking bids for a third fire station on Algonquin Road between Weber and Meadowbrook Drives.

The issue has been around for several years, and a few years ago a Rolling Meadows High School class designed a building for the station.

The city has gotten a federal stimulus grant to pay for half of the cost up to $1.8 million, said Mayor Ken Nelson. He said the city could request bids and then not accept any of them, and there is no hurry because the grant deadline is lenient.

"We may hold off a year or two," he said. When the project was originally bid, the cost was higher than had been expected, he said, but the plan has been modified. For example there will not be a basement.

The city has set money aside for the station, said Nelson. However, the city's budget has been very tight the last few years, prompting layoffs, program reductions and a tax hike.