Park Ridge is staring down a cost increase of almost $2.5 million for renovations to the city’s two fire stations, Stations 35 and 36, as labor and material shortages continue to take their toll on the costs of construction and renovation.
Fire Chief Jeff Sorensen said the original estimated costs of the renovations was projected around $3.3 million. That estimate has jumped to $5.8 million, he told City Council at a September Committee of the Whole meeting. That represents a 76% increase.
Sorensen brought the matter to the Committee of the Whole to ensure that aldermen would still support the project despite the increased cost projections. He said he wanted to take City Council’s temperature before the department began accepting bids for work.
Fifth Ward Ald. Charlie Melidosian said he supported moving ahead on the project.
“I think we have to bite the bullet and start on it, cost aside,” he said.
First Ward Ald. John Moran agreed and said the city was in good enough financial shape to take the extra financial burden.
Fourth Ward Ald. Harmony Harrington said the fire station renovations were an example of when council members needed to make an investment in emergency services rather than try to stretch faltering facilities even further.
“Being a public servant of public money, the easy route is to kick the can for another day,” she said. “But I think this is one of those tougher roads. We just have to buckle up and make these investments in our stations to alleviate far worse issues or expenses.”
There are no specific factors driving up the cost of the project, Executive Officer Paul Lisowski said. Rather, it’s an example of the inflation that’s occurred throughout the economy and which is hitting building and construction sectors particularly hard.
“The construction industry as a whole is having trouble finding labor,” he said. “There are more projects going on and fewer companies bidding on them.”
Asked what specifically in Fire Stations 35 and 36 needs work, Lisowski replied, “in a nutshell, I would say everything.”
By “everything,” Lisowski was referring to the roof and air conditioning in both stations, which were built in 1969 and 1970, he said. Accessibility to the station for people with disabilities is a problem, he said. So are facilities that are inclusive of women who work as firefighters.
Another major issue is renovating facilities so that toxic smoke that gets embedded in the fire engines themselves doesn’t contaminate the firefighters’ living areas and sicken them over time.
“[The smoke is] on the gear, it’s in the gear,” Lisowski said. “It’s on your helmet. It’s on the hoses. Smoke itself is black because there’s particulates in it. That particulate stuff is really cancerous.”
Newer stations, he said, have airlock capabilities that prevent air from where the engines are kept from getting into the firefighters’ living spaces.
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The department plans to solicit design bids for the renovations in mid-October and bring candidates to City Council in November, Lisowski said. The department’s goal is to begin construction sometime in 2023.
Lisowski added that the firefighters are appreciative that City Council supports the project in spite of the cost.
“They’re gonna do their job, wherever they’re working out of,” he said. “Just, it’s already an inherently dangerous job.”