Sycamore officials visualize proposed fire station at special meeting

STREAMWOOD – Sycamore alderpersons held a special City Council meeting Saturday in Streamwood to help visualize what a new Fire Station No. 1 could look like if fully approved.

The Council convened inside Streamwood Fire Station No. 31, 1204 S. Park Ave., Streamwood, a building designed by FGM Architects, the architectural firm the city has contracted to design what would be the city’s newest public safety facility.

Third Ward Alderman Jeff Fischer said he “wasn’t even sure what to expect,” out of the field trip of a City Council meeting, but 80 minutes into a tour of the Streamwood fire station he said it gave him perspective into what Sycamore firefighters have gone without.

“Having seen this, you really have an appreciation for the current firemen and what they need for tools and training and just a facility to do their job properly for the different citizens that they serve,” Fischer said.

Sycamore Fire Station 1, 535 DeKalb Ave. Sycamore, was built in 1957, and Sycamore Fire Chief Bart Gilmore has said the facility is not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, contains asbestos and is heated by a boiler as old as the building.

Firefighters occupying the building’s living quarters have to make do with portable air conditioning units, and the city has to purchase specially sized fire engines that fit into the shorter than average garage bay doors.

In contrast, the building Sycamore officials toured Saturday finished construction in 2021, said FGM Architects Vice President and Principal Jason Estes.

“This project, for me, was near and dear. One, I was project manager. Two, I literally grew up like five minutes walking distance, so my whole family grew up in Streamwood,” Estes said.

The Streamwood station is about 4,000 square feet larger than what’s being considered for a plot of land donated to the project by Ideal Industries near the corner of Borden Avenue and South Prairie Drive.

Fourth Ward Alderman Ben Bumpus said his opinion was unswayed by the tour.

“Just like walking into a house that’s for sale, it’s very interesting to see the amenities that a more expensive one has versus one that has perhaps maybe saved a few corners, but what does that mean to our community that is ultimately paying for this one way or another,” Bumpus said.

Sycamore Mayor Steve Braser said it was nice to see the different spaces such as improved living quarters, engine bays and office spaces could look like if the city authorizes the construction of a FGM Architects-designed fire station.

Fourth Ward Alderwoman Virginia Sherrod said she loved the building she toured over the weekend.

“Just look at this, to see this, and to think that we can have the same thing for our firefighters, people that save our lives. It brings me to tears because they’re so deserving of this,” Sherrod said. “The care that’s gone into this, it speaks more than the dollar signs.”

The proposed fire station currently is designed to have 19,012 gross square feet, and the total project could cost as much as about $10 million said FGM Architects associate Mike Elliott.

First Ward Alderwoman Alicia Cosky said she was amazed and frustrated by her visit to Streamwood.

“Amazing, because this facility is built for the future, and so they have room to grow. Most everything is state-of-the-art: technology, lighting, ventilation, all of that; and frustrating because I know we will get something similar to this, but not fast enough,” Cosky said. “I looked at those private rooms, and then I thought about what our firefighters are in. It’s just, it makes me sad, very sad.”

Second Ward Alderman Chuck Stowe said the special meeting helped him understand the design and needs of a modern fire station.

Bumpus said he knows Sycamore’s current Fire Station No. 1 is untenable, and will need to be dealt with one way or another.

“We do need to have a solution. We cannot continue in the current space we have. What I’m interested in [is] are we being as efficient in our funds as we can be? Are there ways we can be smart about how we’re spending money, but still achieve the goal of making it a safer, better environment for our fire team?”