3/13/2007
The Public Building Commission of Chicago today awarded a $9.3 million contract for construction of a new fire station on the city’s North Side.
The PBC approved the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, Castle Construction Company, as the general contractor for construction of the new Engine Company 70 Fire House, which will be located at 6030 North Clark Street. The PBC is overseeing the project on behalf of the City of Chicago.
The new Engine Company 70 will provide the most up-to-date firefighting technology, including modern emergency communications. It will replace the current Engine Co. 70 at 1545 W. Rosemont Street, which was built in 1905, and Engine Company 59 at 5714 North Ridge, which opened in 1927.
The one-story, 16,500 square-foot fire house also will feature locker room and bathroom facilities for men and women, a fully equipped workout facility, oversized garage doors to accommodate today’s larger emergency vehicles and a circular driveway to make it faster and safer for vehicles to leave and re-enter the building. The facility also will include training facilities for firefighters and officers who work 24-hour shifts.
In addition, the fire house will be built will to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s standards for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. The goal is to obtain a “silver” LEED certification level for the building, which will include a vegetative, or “green,” roof and 20 rooftop solar panels that will be used to heat water in the building.
Castle Construction has committed to at least 26 percent participation in the project by minority business enterprises and 4 percent participation by women business enterprises, officials said.
The fire house will be built under Mayor Richard M. Daley’s Neighborhoods Alive program, which includes fire houses and police stations. Nearly 20 outdated police stations and firehouses will be replaced under the program.
The PBC manages construction and renovation projects for the City of Chicago and its sister agencies. Mayor Daley serves as the PBC’s chairman. Other actions taken Tuesday by the PBC board are listed on the PBC’s Web site at www.pbcchicago.com.
