Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:

As work on Mount Prospect’s new fire station shifts from design to construction, the cost of building the headquarters at 111 E. Rand Road may be exceeding early estimates. Although a final construction budget isn’t expected until March, initial forecasts are putting the project about $433,000 over budget.

A series of cuts have been suggested that would not affect operations to bring costs back within budget. They include reducing the number of sound control panels in the apparatus bay; reducing the radiant heat in the slabs both inside and outside the building; reducing the amount of ceramic wall tile in the bathrooms; relying on diesel rather than natural gas for its generator; and installing one monument sign, located at the Rand Road entrance, instead of two.

The construction documents are expected to be complete by Feb. 19. Public bids are expected by March 12, with a final budget that month. Construction is slated to start in April and finish by April 2020.