The Normal Town Council unanimously approved plans Tuesday for a new fire station on the community's northeast side.
The council, meeting Tuesday evening because of the Labor Day holiday, also approved a contract extension and accompanying pay raise for City Manager Pam Reece.
While a new fire station is being constructed, the town will redistribute capacity rather than increase it. Once the new station at Shepard and Hershey roads is ready for use, the town will decommission the station at College Avenue and Blair Drive. The station is expected to cost around $4.75 million.
Reece said the new location will compensate for the town’s expansion and improve emergency response times. Since the overall number of stations will not change, staffing is expected to remain stable.
“With our new station 2, it will improve our response times to the northeast part of Normal,” Reece said after the meeting. “And we had identified, probably around 2014 or 2015, some concerns that as we grew out to the northeast, that we would need to improve response times.”
With the council’s 7-0 vote approving the development contract, residents of the nearby Blackstone Trails subdivision will be formally notified by mail. The council also plans to schedule a public open house to gather input from residents on how the fire station can be “a good neighbor.”
Core Construction Services of Illinois is expected to take about 18 months to finish the project.
Reece contract
The contract extension for Reece, who has served as city manager since 2018, includes a 4% raise, bringing her annual salary to $217,300. The extension is set to last until March 2026.
The council voted 6-1 to approve the extension, with the dissenting vote coming from member Kathleen Lorenz, who said she discussed the issue with Reece and the council prior to the vote. Neither Reece nor Lorenz provided further comment on the matter.
The council traditionally deals with matters of personnel in executive session, a fact members emphasized during their discussion of the vote.
In other business, the council:
— Approved a $1.1 million contract with Hoerr Construction to line about 25,000 linear feet of sewer scattered across Normal, in areas identified as most in need by camera monitoring equipment.
— Authorized the purchase of two Ford F-550 trucks that will be outfitted with snow plow equipment.
— Awarded a $72,500 contract with Chizmar Landscaping Inc. to install the Constitution Trail Bird Viewing Water Feature. Audubon Society board member Christina Schulz attended the meeting to thank the council for supporting the public’s engagement with nature.
— Approved the appointment of Eric Sweetwood, a retired educator, and Noah Davison, a current Illinois State University student, to the Sister Cities Committee. Both terms expire March 31, 2026.
