As construction of Pleasant Prairie’s larger Fire Station #1 progresses, the Village is acting on plans to repurpose the station built in 1967 into a new public meeting space. On Monday, February 2, the Pleasant Prairie Village Board approved the award of contracts for the conversion of the soon to be vacated space into an auditorium and meeting space. The contracts awarded on Monday evening totaled $1,499,052, approximately $28,800 under the anticipated project budget.

Work to be completed in the vacated space includes: repair of an exterior wall; the creation of a new auditorium to host public meetings; repurposing the firefighter dayroom into two conference rooms; the updating of existing plumbing and electrical fixtures; asbestos removal; and the installation of a public elevator per State building code. As part of the project, work will also be completed in an existing auditorium on the north side of the building. Work to be completed in the existing auditorium, which currently doubles as a municipal courtroom, will include: the repair of an exterior wall; the installation of a small vestibule; the construction of two interior offices for a municipal judge and attorney who do not currently have an office; and the conversion of an older kitchenette into additional storage.

During 2013, the Village announced that it was working on plans to relocate and reconstruct its Fire Station #1, as the design and size of fire vehicles has changed substantially since the 1967 station was constructed and more bay space was needed. Prior to making a decision to relocate and reconstruct a larger fire station, the Village evaluated several factors. Staff took into account: where current and future planned fire stations are and will be located and where fire apparatus is stored; call response times within a radius of those locations (looking for any gaps in coverage); which areas of the Village have fire hydrants and which do not; the areas in the Village where near-term future growth will occur; and the practicality/possibility of renovating the existing Station #1.

After evaluating many factors related to both life safety and the protection of large financial assets, staff concluded that it would be logistically difficult and problematic to continue dispatching personnel and apparatus from the existing Fire Station #1 while attempting to construct an expansion. Additionally, the ability to accommodate future needs in an expanded existing location would have proven both limited and costly. The Village began construction of the new fire station in 2014. It is expected to be complete during the spring of 2015. Work to convert the vacated space will begin once personnel and apparatus has been moved to the new station.