Story posted Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Fire Station 14 Progressing
By RICHARD MAYER Assistant Managing Editor
After a month of construction on the new Fire Station 14 on Mt. Prospect's north side, near River and Kensington roads, things are going according to plan, said Leopardo Construction Project Manager Jim Novak.
Since beginning construction the week of Apr. 13, architect Jake Davis of SRBL Architects said the site next to the current fire station has been cleared and excavation has been completed.
Last week (week of May 18), construction crews began pouring the footing and foundation for the new station's future basement. At the same time, storm and utility work also began.
According to both Novak and Davis, within the next month, nearby residents and passers-by will notice steel and masonry walls going up on the $7.7 million, 23,000 sq. ft. fire station.
The new station will replace the existing Station 14 facility which is in poor physical condition and undersized to support modern fire/emergency operations, according to village officials.
In addition to constructing a new fire station, work is also underway on a new emergency operations center (EOC) and expansion of the public works garage at Central and Busse roads.
"Work, more or less, is the same for the EOC and public works as it is for the fire station," said Davis.
Davis added dirt has been moved around and concrete was also poured last week at that site.
"Work at public works will be done more in pieces because of its layout and the facility will continuously be occupied," said Davis.
The EOC will serve as a central gathering place for village officials in an emergency situation. Mt. Prospect's current EOC is located in the Public Safety Building, 112 E. Northwest Hwy. The room that is used as an EOC, however, was not designed for that purpose. It does not have the technology and infrastructure necessary to support the village, officials claim.
Construction costs for the 4,400 sq. ft. EOC facility is budgeted at $1,715,986.
Two new maintenance bays will be added onto the public works garage as part of its expansion to accommodate fire department maintenance vehicles from Fire Station 14. Additions to public works are expected not to exceed $2,502,597 in costs.
If the projects wind up costing more than anticipated, Leopardo will be responsible for remaining expenses. A shared savings clause between Leopardo and the village says if Leopardo completes the projects under the approved amounts, Leopardo expects to receive back 30% of the savings, with a maximum return of $90,000.
According to Davis and Novak, work on the garage and Station 14 are expected to be completed late this year, with the new fire station being completed in early spring of next year.
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