Aldermen have approved the demolition of the old Fire Station 2 near 162nd and Cicero Avenue in the Fieldcrest neighborhood.
Resident Sharon Ferguson claimed victory in her efforts to rid the neighborhood of a building she has termed an eyesore. For the past 18 months, Ferguson has led the charge to get the building demolished, gathering more than 500 petition signatures.
In summer 1996 the City Council agreed to tear down the dilapidated structure, but former Mayor James Richmond vetoed the council’s decision.
Ferguson resurrected the issue at last week’s City Council meeting. Newly elected Mayor Patrick Gordon said he had contacted the developer of the Avenues subdivision in the Fieldcrest neighborhood. The developer would be willing to take the fire station rubble for road fill and redesign street plans to better accommodate a northbound lane out of the subdivision, Gordon said.
The council still must determine who will pay for the demolition.