Normal Planning Commission endorses latest Rivian expansion, new fire station

this is sound ideas WG lt's news magazine thanks for listening I'm John Norton the town of normal is getting closer to filling gaps in its fire and emergency coverage growth to the community's east side prompted the town to change the map of its three fire stations to reduce response times in those areas that's easier said than done though the town has plans to build a new $5 million fire station at the corner of Hershey and Shephard roads that location is next to the Blackstone subdivision that began development in 20 9 about half of the neighborhood has been constructed including the portion nearest to the proposed station the plan got a thumbs up from the town's Planning Commission last week the Town Council will vote on the new fire station next week normal fire chief Mick humer tells WGT correspondent Colin Hardman the new fire station has been well over a decade in the making the process has been long um you know the original plan to replace uh and move all the fire stations uh took place in 2009 so it's been a long time of course we built the headquarter station in 2017 it opened and that was uh you know originally part of that plan so this was the next part um obviously Co and everything kind of slowed us down a little bit with that and uh supply shortages and things and so we're we're just a static that we're able to move forward and it it you know if if the council passes it on Monday night or on the 19th um they should be able to break ground around uh the 9th of October so we're very excited about that uh any thoughts on when it would finish given that kind of date it it'll take about a year um to construct um and a lot of it depends on the winter how how harsh of a winter we have we've been very lucky you know last couple years and so we probably won't be as lucky this year but um we we just uh think that we'll be able to complete it within within a year the argument that's been made in general is that um as per the plan to relocate some the fire resources this is going to improve response times in that part of town are there any specific incidents where you think it would have been a lot better to have one located in this kind of area well I you know obviously the Planning Commission talked about um you know normal Community High School out there there's a nursing home out there there's churches out there and stuff and so we obviously run you know several calls a month out in that area um in Blackstone Trails we've had you know since we purchased the property and hadn't built it we had two structure fires out there um one of them uh an elderly resident had to be rescued by her neighbors because the fire department wasn't there yet it takes about nine nine minutes to respond to Black Stone Trails um from college and Blair what does the Staffing look like for this facility is it going to be reallocation of existing employees or is more hiring going to need to be done it it is relocation of uh existing employees and equipment so you know ladder trucks ambulances uh fire engines that kind of thing as well noral fire chief Mick humer says the new fire station will not require additional equipment humer spoke with WGT correspondent Colin Hardman as a matter of disclosure wlt's executive director RC McBride chairs the normal Planning Commission