Gurnee village board to consider third fire station

The Gurnee village board is set to vote on a plan that would get the ball rolling on construction of the village's third fire station.

At a meeting Monday, trustees will consider an agreement with FGM Architects Inc. to plan a new fire station for village-owned land on the south side of Gurnee.

Village Manager Patrick Muetz said a third fire station has been in discussion for years. A third station would improve response times when firefighters are dealing with multiple or back-to-back emergencies, officials said.

According to village documents, firefighters at the new station would primarily cover the Route 120 and 21 corridors. Muetz said the village would not need new fire trucks, ambulances or staff for the station.

"We are finally to a point that the needed manpower, equipment and land are in place to move the project forward," Muetz said Friday.

Muetz said the plan is for the new station to be built behind the Triangle Office Building at 731 Route 21 near the intersection with Manchester Drive.

Village staff members met with three architectural firms on May 8 to decide which one to work with, according to documents. Officials said they chose FGM Architects, which has offices in Chicago and Oak Brook, because the firm - which is local and employee-owned - has completed numerous fire station projects in the area and has a branch specifically dedicated to public service buildings.

The company's fee would be set at 8.75 percent of the station's budget. The specific dollar amount would be updated throughout the process.

Muetz said the estimated cost of the project is very preliminary. He said the multiyear capital plan includes $500,000 this year, with placeholders of about $3.38 million in fiscal years 2020 and 2021.

"As we move forward with planning, figures will be firmed up," Muetz said.

Based on the current timeline, construction would start in the summer of 2021, with completion of the station by fall of 2022.

The village board will meet at village hall, 325 N. O'Plaine Road, at 7 p.m. Monday.