PBC Moves New Southwest Side Fire Station Forward

A new fire station for Engine Company 88 will be built on the Southwest Side under a $5 million construction contract approved today by the Public Building Commission of Chicago (PBC), the fourth of nine new fire stations under Mayor Richard M. Daley’s Neighborhoods Alive 21 program.

Under a contract approved by the PBC Board with the lowest bidder, G.F. Structures Corp., the new fire station will be built at 59th Street and Central Park Avenue, Kevin Gujral, PBC executive director, said. The new station will provide approximately 14,300 square feet of space, officials said. It will accommodate the most up-to-date firefighting technology, including a modern command center and emergency communications facilities.

The new one-story firehouse design features enlarged doorways to house today’s larger emergency vehicles, updated living quarters and a circular driveway to reduce traffic hazards as fire trucks exit on calls, officials said. Construction is expected to start in May and will take one year at the site on the south side of 59th Street between Central Park and Lawndale Avenues. The upgraded station will replace Engine 88’s existing quarters at 60th and St. Louis, which dates back to 1927.

Mayor Daley, who chairs the PBC, began the Neighborhoods Alive 21 program three years ago as a major investment in Chicago’s infrastructure that includes replacing outdated police and fire stations throughout the city.

Other actions taken Tuesday by the PBC Board, including the appointment of architects and owner’s representatives, are listed on the PBC’s web site at www.pbcchicago.com.