North Park Fire to ask voters to OK $5M bond for new centralized station
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
Get our newsletter
MACHESNEY PARK — The North Park Fire Protection District wants to build a new central fire station to replace its three existing locations that are six to seven decades old.
The goal is to put the district’s station in the center of its most densely populated area in order to reduce response times to emergency calls. It also wants an updated facility that’s better suited for modern firefighting equipment and, unlike its existing stations, built with live-in staffing in mind.
“Our current facilities are all aging, too small for current fire apparatus and not suited to current fire department operations,” Fire Chief Joel Hallstrom said.
The district will ask voters June 28 to approve a $5 million bond to finance the construction of the station. It estimates that the owner of a $120,000 home will pay an additional $76 annually in property taxes for 20 years in order to pay off the debt. The average home value is about $128,000 in the village of Machesney Park, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Related: Loves Park buys former body shop for new fire station
Village President Steve Johnson feels it’s a small price to pay for better public safety that comes with improved response times.
“If you call 911 you expect a paramedic to be there within seconds,” Johnson said. “My concern is health for the residents, so this is an extremely important decision on this referendum coming up in June.”
The new station would be built at 1013 Harlem Road.
“This location is in the center of our largest demand for emergency services, and it has been on the long-term planning of the fire district to locate a facility here for well over 20 years,” Hallstrom said.
(story continues below map)
The increased property taxes would sunset in 20 years when the construction debt is paid off. It would take about two years to build the facility, at which point the district would look to sell its existing facilities at 600 Wood Ave., 2275 Harlem Road and 3924 N. Alpine Road. Revenue from the sale would go toward paying off the bonds.
“The fire district’s geography has also changed considerably since its inception in 1946,” Hallstrom said. “The district was once physically much larger, but has gradually had property taken through annexation into the cities of Rockford and Loves Park.”
Machesney Park news: The Mill aims for late summer opening after renovating former Cronies
The district’s Alpine Road station is in the city of Rockford, and its Harlem Road location is in Loves Park. The Wood Avenue station was built in 1964, and the Harlem and Alpine stations were constructed in 1953 and ’54.
“With all of the annexations and changes in fire protection service technology, our current stations that were built when (the district) was first established are no longer optimal for keeping our community safe,” said Brent Meade, president of the district’s board of trustees. “We’re also seeing longer response times due to their locations for fires and medical emergencies when precious seconds and minutes are crucial for saving lives.”
What it costs
Here’s a look at the estimated annual property tax increases if the bond referendum is approved.
Home value | Estimated annual increase
$240,000 | $152
$180,000 | $114
$120,000 | $76
$60,000 | $38
On the ballot
Here’s how the ballot question reads for voters in the North Park Fire Protection District.
PROPOSITION TO ISSUE FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT BONDS
Shall bonds of the North Park Fire Protection District, Winnebago County, Illinois, in the amount of $5,000,000 be issued to finance (i) improvements to and within the District, including but not limited to the purchase or acquisition of land, development and improvement of same, construction and equipping of a new fire station and (ii) the payment of the expenses incident thereto?
