The Ravinia Fire Station was built in 1929 as a substation to reduce response times to the southern portion of Highland Park. This station was built within a renovated single family home and was equipped with a 750 gallon per minute fire engine staffed with two personnel. In 1966, the station responded to 127 calls for service staffed with two personnel. Fifty years later, the station is equipped with a 1,500 gallon per minute fire engine staffed with two personnel and an ambulance staffed with two personnel responding to approximately 2,000 calls for service annually. The increased demand for service and the lack of space within the station is not sustainable nor practical for rapid emergency response operations. A new fire station will allow the City to accommodate current and future needs and to best serve the public.
In 2016, the City explored several locations to build a new station. Based on current response times, it was determined that the Ravinia Business District area maximized the Department’s ability to provide consistent response times of less than 7 minutes. The City contracted with Williams Architects to conduct a needs assessment and develop conceptual drawings for a new fire station using three parcels of land at or near the current location.
In 2017, the City held 7 community meetings seeking input from the public. Residents and businesses were in support of replacing the existing fire station as long as it is built on the existing site or across the street on the northwest corner of Brown Park.
At the September 23, 2019 Committee of the Whole meeting, City staff will provide background information on the Ravinia Fire Station and a proposed plan for redevelopment of the station. No additional public land is proposed for acquisition as part of the Ravinia Fire Station redevelopment.
At the January 27th, 2020 City Council meeting, the design and engineering services for the Ravinia Fire Station Redevelopment were approved. The project entails working with Williams Architects to prepare construction drawings and preliminary costs for a new, updated facility on the current site. Construction is planned to occur in 2021.
Timeline
Funds are included in the City’s proposed Fiscal Year 2020 budget to begin the plan development process. The process will include presentations to the Plan & Design Commission and final consideration by the City Council. Construction is planned to occur in 2021.
Contact Information
If you would like to be kept abreast of this project through email updates, please contact Jennifer Dotson at jdotson@cityhpil.com or call 847-926-1000. If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact City Manager Ghida Neukirch at gneukirch@cityhpil.com or 847-926-1000 or Chief Amidei at lamidei@cityhpil.com / 847-433-3110.