Consultants showed the Park Ridge City Council a draft of plans to remodel Fire Station 35, near Devon and Cumberland Avenues, at the Sept. 18 Committee of the Whole meeting.
Park Ridge Finance Director Christopher Lipman said the pre-bid estimate to renovate both fire stations in Park Ridge is $7.85 million, including contingency costs and price escalation costs due to inflation. The original estimate for the renovations was for $3.3 million, but have gone up since then.
Fire Chief Jeff Sorensen said Cordogan Clark & Associates, the contractors hired by the council to renovate the fire stations, were the ones who “had all the ideas” when it came to the remodel of the station, referencing their previous work with other fire departments. According to Cordogan Clark’s website
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, the firm has designed fire stations for Naperville, Aurora and Huntley.
Sorensen’s priorities for the remodel included adding features that would ensure the health and safety of firefighters, have amenities for all genders, increase capacity for trucks and on-duty personnel, be more energy efficient, and be prepared for the future of Park Ridge, where senior homes might be making more calls to 911.
Brian Kronewitter, executive vice president of Cordogan Clark, said the firm has been able to work around challenges so that the fire department can keep the station operating as the contractor remodels, renovates, demolishes and adds on to the facility.
Tim Weber, associate vice president of Cordogan Clark, noted that the existing station has approximately 7,700 square feet, which he called fairly small by today’s standards, and that the plans call for adding approximately 4,000 square feet.
The contractor’s documents show there will be two building additions. On the north side of the station, a 3,130-square-foot addition will include the firefighters’ living area. To the south side of the facility, a 1,107-square-foot addition will hold most of the firefighters’ equipment after they respond to a call.
Throughout the presentation, both said the layout of the building will allow for greater carcinogen control and faster response time.
Sketches of the remodel also include a sauna for the firefighters to sweat out carcinogens after they come back from a fire. “It’s a relatively new idea,” said Sorensen. “But it’s not unheard of.”
The way that would work, explained Sorenson, is that after a fire, firefighters would shower once, sweat out carcinogens in the sauna, and then shower a second time before returning to active duty.
Kronewitter said he had looked at national studies to see how effective saunas are in removing carcinogens. He added that Fire Station 1 in Huntley has a sauna in its facility.
Kronewitter also said plans call for completion of Fire Station 35, on Cumberland Avenue, in July 2025.
“We feel that with this project we addressed the health of our members, the accommodations for all genders, capacity, which is adding a portion to that third bay that is currently not in use…so we’re getting that space back, and then more efficient as well,” Sorensen said after the consultants’ presentation.
Fire Station 36 at Oakton Street and Greenwood Avenue is also up for a remodel. Sorensen said that there hasn’t been any progress on it so far because he wants the department to be able to learn from the remodel at Station 35.
“We’re gonna go through this process first, and then kind of see what we liked and didn’t like and then try to pause briefly and then start the next one,” said Sorensen.