Evanston Fire Station No. 3 has housed the protectors of northeast Evanston and Northwestern for nearly 50 years. But next week, fire trucks will drive out of the aging Central Street building for the last time.
The station will be razed at the end of the month to make way for a new, larger station. The project will take about a year to complete at an estimated cost of $2.3 million, although one alderman has questioned whether or not the station actually is needed.
Staff and equipment will move out of Station No. 3, 1105 Central St., by Monday. The station’s firefighters will be divided between stations No. 1 and 5, both of which will take calls in the Station No. 3 response area during construction.
The building, constructed in 1954 between the Central Street El station and the North Shore Channel, has long shown signs of deterioration. The red brick facade is crumbled at the corners, and the white trim is peeling and rusted.
Station No. 3 is long overdue for a new facility, said Samuel Hunter, division chief of Evanston fire department. The station has been in need of renovation for years, but the city’s financial difficulties stalled the project until now, he said.
“We’re trying to look to the future to accommodate additional firefighters,” Hunter said.
The project faced opposition from Ald. Edmund Moran (6th), who favored consolidating two fire stations instead of rebuilding Station No. 3.
Moran cited a city study commissioned about 15 years ago that concluded the city needed only three fire stations. At the time the city had four stations and since has added Station No. 1, 1332 Emerson St.
Moran said the city would save money and resources by also closing Station No. 5, 2830 Central St., which is dilapidated and scheduled for rebuilding. According to his proposal, the city would build one large station between the two Central Street stations.
“The study seems to suggest that we could consolidate stations three and five and ensure an adequate response time in the north part of the city,” he said.
But Station No. 3 Capt. Don Kunita said he opposes consolidating the two stations. The department wants to provide the best service possible to residents, and a centrally located fire station would place some residents at a greater distance from rescue equipment, he said.
Moran blamed some city officials’ ties with the firefighters union in part for the failure of his proposal, along with the sensitive issue of reducing response times in the area.
“It comes down to a question of how you perceive the economics and priorities,” Moran said.
The new facility, to be built by Skender Construction Co. of Palos Hills, Ill., will be 940 square feet larger than the current building. It feature improved living quarters for the station’s six full-time firefighters.
Kunita said he looks forward to improved electricity and plumbing, as well as more space for firefighting gear. He compared the current bunking quarters to outdated dormitories.
Response times might increase slightly in the Station No. 3 response area because of the change-up, Hunter said. But he pointed to construction projects at stations No. 2 and 4 in the late 1980s that did not create response problems.
