Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:
Elk Grove Village firefighters are days away from moving into new firehouses after a year of construction. The stations are two of the most visible aspects of the village’s $140 million, multiyear infrastructure program.
Next Tuesday, the new $8.5 million, 15,000-square-foot Fire Station 10 at 676 Meacham Road will become operational. It replaces the former four-decades-old firehouse on site that needed a number of upgrades to remain functional. The new building increases the number of bays from three to four.
On Wednesday, a $15 million, 20,000-square-foot fire station and training tower at 700 Fargo Ave. in the village’s east side business park will open. It consolidates and replaces Fire Station 9 at 1655 Greenleaf Ave., a one-engine smaller firehouse that was 48 years old, and Fire Station 8 at 1000 Oakton St., which was 27 years old and had operational deficiencies.
In total, Elk Grove is going from four fire stations to three, including Fire Station 7 on the municipal campus at 101 Biesterfield Road.
While the final construction costs are still being tabulated, both fire stations are coming in slightly under budget. This can be attributed to economies of scale realized by doing both projects at the same time.
Earlier this week, the village board inked a sales contract with Bensenville-based CH Global Holding for the old firehouse on Greenleaf for $407,000. The trucking company plans to use the building as a maintenance garage. Last year, the village sold the Oakton station site which is being developed into a $1 billion Elk Grove Technology Park on an 85-acre parcel that includes the former sprawling Busse farm — and now the nearby firehouse property. That property sale alone was more than able to pay for the new consolidated Station 8 just blocks away. The village also is using funds from a $60 million bond issue, paid back through electric utility tax revenue.
The village will hold ribbon cuttings and public tours at both stations Saturday, May 18. First, at 9 a.m. at Station 10 on Meacham, then at 10:30 p.m. at Station 8 on Fargo. Tours of both facilities will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. that day.
thanks Scott
