Pingree Grove & Countryside Fire Protection District news
Excerpts from DailyHerald.com:
Fire officials in Pingree Grove are once again seeking voter approval to borrow $8.5 million for the construction of two new fire stations, as the community continues to grow and demand more emergency services.
If voters approve the referendum on March 20, property owners will see a tax increase of approximately $90 per year for a home valued at $300,000. This is a reduction from the previous estimate of $117, due to the district's population growth since the proposal was rejected in April 2017, according to Fire Chief Mitch Crocetti.
The Pingree Grove & Countryside Fire Protection District plans to repay the loan over 20 years, with $2 million coming from its general fund—$100,000 annually—and the remaining $6.5 million covered by a property tax increase that will last for two decades.
Two informational meetings are scheduled: one at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Cambridge Lakes Community Center, located at 1125 Wester Blvd., Pingree Grove, and another at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Station 2, 10N980 Rippburger Road, Plato Center.
The district employs 54 firefighters who responded to 1,096 calls in 2017, up from 1,036 in 2016. The 50-square-mile area serves around 15,000 residents across Pingree Grove, the northern part of Campton Hills, and unincorporated regions. New housing developments in the Cambridge Lakes area are expected to increase the population further.
Currently, the district operates three fire stations. Two of them—Station 2 on Rippburger Road and Station 4 on Plank Road—are considered outdated and would be closed if the new stations are built. Station 2 is currently unstaffed, while Station 4 uses temporary trailers for firefighters.
"These were originally designed as callback stations and were never meant to be full-time facilities," said Crocetti. He added that even if these stations could be upgraded, their locations are not ideal for future needs.
The two new stations will include living quarters for firefighters and will be constructed on land purchased on Highland Avenue, just east of Coombs Road, and on Dittman Road, about a mile south of Plato Road. The district has already allocated around $600,000 from this year’s $3.3 million budget to purchase land and begin architectural planning.
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