McHenry Times

At the April 3 meeting of the McHenry City Council, council was presented with a zoning request for the property at 1004 S Illinois Route 31. The zoning variation was for a special-use permit and driveway width exemption for a new fire station for the McHenry Township Fire Protection District.

The need for a new fire station has been identified due to the growth and expansion of the township, which has resulted in increased demand for fire and emergency services. 

This area of Route 31 is set to experience some major work from the Illinois Department of Transportation, widening the road and redoing the lanes, and with all the projects set to happen soon, the fire district leadership wanted to get all the permits and plans approved and settled so that they can match them up with the state’s construction on the roads. 

Representatives from the fire district –  including the fire chief, board president, and architect – were at the meeting to answer questions and discuss the zoning request. Council had a few questions about their operations and plans, but were eager to vote its approval of the plan and thanked the district for its continued protection of the community.

"I just want to say that you make McHenry proud," Alderman Frank McClatchey told the members of the fire district. "Your department is one of the best in the county, and I look forward to working with you."

The fire district doesn’t have immediate plans to begin construction at this location, however its leadership has been working on it for a long time and have much of the design already done. The driveway will be located at an intersection, and they will match up the signal light at the intersection with their responses, turning it into a four way intersection, with one of the roads being their driveway, and being able to exit right away when they respond to a call. 

The fire district has five current stations, two in McHenry, one in Lakemoor, one in Johnsburg, and one in Ringwood. Station 1 in McHenry answers over 55% of the districts calls, and the fire chiefs and boards have done years of analysis and research to pick this new location on Route 31 to best be able to answer a large number of calls and take some of the weight off Station 1.