Normal sees northeast move for fire department to Hershey Road site

Posted on November 2, 2018

*Normal Town Council members will be asked to buy this property on Hershey Road to build a northeast Normal fire station. (Town of Normal)*

By Howard Packowitz

NORMAL – The Town of Normal would buy property on the northeast side of town to build a fire station there under a proposal to be considered Monday night by the town council.

The agreement with the current landowner of the Blackstone Trails residential subdivision calls for the town government to buy 1.75 acres of undeveloped property at 1438 Hershey Rd. for up to $450,000.

The new fire station, east of Menard’s at the intersection of Hershey and Shepard Roads, would replace the station at 1300 East College Avenue. A staff report to the council said the new site would improve access to east Normal, Veteran’s Parkway, and I-55, and also quicken response to mutual aid calls in Bloomington.

The property would have to be re-zoned for public use.

The town is willing to defer development fees of an estimated $188,670, and the Blackstone Trails owner would be able to build denser residential developments.

Construction of a northeast Normal fire station is still a couple of years away. The fire department recently moved into new headquarters on Main Street at the Illinois State University campus, replacing the Adelaide Street station.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]

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