Evanston residents appeared disappointed Wednesday night after hearing that the $4 million plans for northwest Evanston’s fire station won’t include a fire pole. Fire Chief Alan Berkowsky, however, showed them the greater benefits of a cleaner design and increased energy efficiency.
Ald. Edmund Moran (6th) and Berkowsky presented plans from Muller and Muller Architects to rebuild Fire Station No. 5, 2830 Central St. The station, built in 1954, is one of Evanston’s oldest fire stations. Station No. 2, 702 Madison St., was built in 1954 as well, but was renovated in 1990.
The current building does not have room for all of the modern equipment used by firefighters and needs electrical and structural updates, Berkowsky said. Also, the station does not have room for a female locker room, necessary to accommodate a changing work force.
“The station is really important for us,” Berkowsky said. “The taxpayers have definitely gotten their money’s worth with this station.”
The proposal is similar to northeast Evanston’s Station No. 3, built in 2004, said David Steele, senior project architect for Muller and Muller. The new station would have glass panels covering the engine bays, allowing the residents to see the equipment inside. These large bays would accommodate the advanced trucks used by the fire department. The housing and administrative section would span two stories and have terra cotta panels on the outside to increase the building’s energy efficiency.
If the plan is approved, construction would begin in February 2007 and would last about one year, the developers said. The fire department is still searching for a temporary site for Station No. 5 during construction.
Steele said the building was designed with the bordering businesses, as well as the residential area directly behind the station, in mind.
“We looked at existing buildings because we want this building to fit in with them, which we didn’t think this building does,” Steele said. “The 1950s building was built with a more residential feel to it.”
The building would be the city government’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified building, said Terry Sullivan, senior project architect for Muller and Muller. Many of Evanston’s building practices and materials already fit with the LEED energy requirements, which require buildings to be environmentally friendly, he said.
A representative from the Public Art Committee said the committee was pleased the city was already thinking about how to incorporate art into the building. Evanston city code requires 1 percent of the cost of a public project to be spent on art.
“It looks a little plain right now, but there will be opportunity to spice it up a little bit,” Berkowsky said.
Residents said they were worried about how the fire engine would enter and exit the station under the plan. Now the engine backs up into the station from Central Street, but the proposal allows it to enter the station from the back to reduce congestion on the street.
Richard Prinz, whose backyard borders the fire station, said the new design has a rear view that is “extremely nice” with appropriate heights, but was concerned about noisy trucks routinely using the alley between his house and the fire station.
“I know that alley gets extremely busy and clogged, which could be a problem for the trucks to get back in,” Prinz said.
Berkowsky said the design increases safety for the fire fighters and their equipment and that Station No. 5 handles significantly less traffic than other stations in the city.
Residents also questioned keeping the station in the same location, a site that Berkowsky admitted was smaller than what is ideal for a fire station.
Other sites were considered, including a plan to purchase land next to the current station, but the property cost more than what the city was willing to spend, Moran said.
Moran said there is no date yet for presenting the proposal to the Site Plan and Appearance Review Committee.
Reach Laura Olson at [email protected].
