Construction began July 12 for improvements to Springfield’s Fire Station 10 at 2245 E. Galloway St., which was built in 1979. The newly renovated station will be operational by January 2022.
The $644,000 project will include renovation of the station’s kitchen, dining and living room spaces, physical fitness areas and sleeping quarters. The station’s laundry areas will also be updated to allow for the proper inspection, cleaning, drying and storage of turnout gear (firefighter protective clothing).
Station 10’s firefighters and apparatus were relocated to Fire Station 11 at 4940 S. Fremont until the renovation is complete. Modifications have been made to adjoining fire station response districts to minimize the impact to response times due to the construction, Fire Chief David Pennington said.
“We are so fortunate to have such a supportive community that recognizes the ongoing needs of a fire service such as ours,” Pennington said. “These much-needed renovations to Station 10 will provide this fire station the ability to serve our community for decades to come.”
The Fire Department continues working as promised to improve its facilities using funding provided by the continuation of the Level Property Tax approved by Springfield voters in 2017.
The tax generates about $8.5 million a year, which is allowing the department to replace and renovate outdated fire stations and equipment for the first time in decades, as well as build two brand-new stations – Fire Stations 13 and 14 – over the next several years.
Pennington noted these additional projects in the pipeline for the department:
- Work continues to replace Fire Station 4 at 2423 N. Delaware, which was demolished in March. The new, nearly $3 million station will be operational in spring/early summer 2022. The old station, which was built in 1968, had long exceeded its usefulness.
- Demolition and construction to replace Fire Station 7, which was built in 1958 at 2129 E. Sunshine, will begin in spring 2022 and be operational by 2023. The total budget for the project is just over $3 million.
- Construction for the brand-new Fire Station 13 in the 1900 block of West College in the West Central neighborhood will begin soon and will be complete by summer 2022 at an estimatedconstruction cost of $2.34 million.
- Construction for the brand-new Fire Station 14 at the northeast corner of West Chestnut Expressway and North Duke Avenue is planned as part of a 2026 bond package made possible by the Level Property Tax. The estimated cost for the project is not yet known.