Two of Springfield’s most underserved areas are getting brand-new fire stations while two of its oldest stations will be demolished and rebuilt, thanks to the renewal of the Level Property Tax in November 2017.
“We are keeping our promise to Springfield voters,” said Fire Chief David Pennington.
Two of the projects – Fire Station 13 in the 1900 block of West College (located in the Westside neighborhood) and Fire Station 14 at the northeast corner of West Chestnut Expressway and North Duke Avenue (near the Bissett and Westside neighborhoods) – are brand-new stations, while two will replace Fire Station 4 at 2423 N. Delaware (located on the boundary between the Doling Park and Robberson neighborhoods) and Fire Station 7 at 2129 E. Sunshine (located in the Brentwood neighborhood).
Construction for the station 13 will begin this June and will be complete by March 2021. Demolition of station 4 will begin this May/June, with construction for its replacement beginning in June and finishing by March 2021. Demolition and construction for station 7’s replacement will begin in September 2021 and finish by May 2022. A timeline for station 14’s construction has not yet been set. A rendering of Fire Station 14 was not yet available by press time, but is expected to look similar to the other new and rebuilt fire stations.
“I am very excited about building two new fire stations in underserved areas of Springfield, both of which have high fire risk,” said Pennington. “These new stations will reduce the amount of travel time for our fire crews to reach emergencies in these areas.”
Pennington said that Fire Stations 4 and 7, which were built in the 1950s and ‘60s, have long exceeded their usefulness.
“We look forward to replacing 4 and 7 with modern facilities and equipment,” he said.