Excerpts from the DailyHerald.com:
The construction of a new fire station on McHenry Road is the centerpiece of a five-year, $42.5 million capital improvement plan approved this week by the Wheeling Village Board. The station will replace the one in the municipal complex on Community Boulevard, officially known as station No. 42 and will retain that identifier.
The current station No. 42 occupies two rooms in the police station and is staffed by a three-person engine crew. A full-sized and fully staffed station on McHenry Road should improve coverage in the northwest portion of Wheeling and reduce response times.
Plans to relocate the station were being developed at the same time as the plans for the new station No. 23, which opened this summer on Wheeling Road north of Hintz Road. Both stations will have the same architectural design.
Station No. 24, the third fire station and headquarters at 499 S. Milwaukee Ave. will remain in service.
Construction of the new station is expected to cost $5 million and is scheduled for 2022. The village board unanimously approved the capital plan Monday which covers projects to be undertaken between 2022 and 2026, with more than $15 million in work set for next year.
The fire station is the costliest project in the plan and will be built on about 2 acres north of Dundee Road, near a village water tower and well house. Once the new station is completed, the current station’s space will be repurposed.
Funding for the station and the other projects will come from village reserves, gasoline taxes, grants, and other sources — but not loans or property tax-rate increases.
thanks Rob
#1 by Bill S on January 6, 2022 - 12:06 PM
Wheeling will be hiring six (6) additional personnel to fully staff a 3rd ambulance. This will also take away Truck 24 being a jump company to a 3rd (last-due) ambulance.
#2 by Mike C on January 5, 2022 - 2:35 PM
Seems like a pretty cost effective station. Good for Wheeling for being wise with the taxpayers money!
#3 by Michael m on January 5, 2022 - 12:39 PM
Glad they will be getting their own designated fire station.
#4 by Bill Post on January 5, 2022 - 10:12 AM
This new fire station was actually postponed. The Village of Wheeling had plans to build one on McHenry Road on the far northwest side of town around 2010/11 which was the same time that they built Station 24 at 499 S Milwaukee Ave. However, due to the recession, they decided to use space in the police station, which was originally built as Fire Station 24, for an Engine Company 42. Engine 42, the former Engine 24, was temporarily located in the new station on Milwaukee Avenue however they felt the northwest end of town was inadequately covered. It was re designated as Engine 42 and moved into the police station.
As the new Station 42 will be over a mile further west, I wonder if they will be hiring more men to put a 3rd engine company in service. Then they can finally have one running out of Station 24. The Milwaukee Avenue station only runs with a tower ladder and an ambulance. They have a 4WD Navistar Pumper (designated as Squad 42 with foam and pump-and-roll capabilities) which they dispatch to the Chicago Executive Airport when needed. It runs as a jump company with Tower Ladder 24. Station 24 also has Ambulance 42 which is another jump company.
#5 by Matthew G on January 5, 2022 - 8:34 AM
Good for Wheeling. I’m happy to see the village investing in their facilities that will provide them and their firefighters better facilities to work and live in.