Springfield breaks ground on 1st of 4 new fire stations

The Springfield Fire Department on Tuesday is scheduled to break ground on the first of four new fire station projects.

The roughly $3 million Fire Station 4, located at the boundary of the Doling and Robberson neighborhoods at 2423 N. Delaware Ave., is funded by the level property tax, said city spokesperson Melissa Haase.

The Fire Station 4 project calls for a new building at the site of the depot that was demolished March 26, according to a news release. It's slated to be operational in a year's time.

Nesbitt Construction Inc. is serving as general contractor of the project designed by Esterly, Schneider & Associates Inc.

Work on Fire stations Nos. 7, 13 and 14 also is planned. Haase said groundbreaking ceremonies for the stations have not been scheduled.

Haase said construction is scheduled to begin on Fire Station 13 this summer, with work slated to wrap a year later. Demolition and construction for Fire Station 7 is targeted to start in spring 2022 and be operational by 2023, she said. Design services, bidding and construction for Fire Station 14 will be phased as funding becomes available, she added.

Officials say the stations were designed to the latest standards and include apparatus bays for fire trucks and other emergency vehicles, living spaces, bunkrooms and fitness rooms for firefighters. They have been designed with primarily brick exteriors to maintain the traditional character of the existing stations, according to past reporting.