Normal Town Council votes to pass new fire station location, expand Rivian property

Posted on August 21, 2024

Fire Station 2 will be built at the northeast corner of Hershey and Shepard Roads and will replace the fire station at College Avenue and Blair Drive. The relocation of the fire station is the second phase of a multi-year plan to relocate the Town’s fire stations to improve overall response times. (Photo courtesy Normal Fire Department)

NORMAL – More jobs and expanded emergency response have been given the go-ahead by Normal Town Council.

After the council’s meeting Monday night, the electric car company Rivian’s proposal was accepted, along with the Normal Fire Department’s proposal to build a new fire station. Both motions passed unanimously.

The Rivian proposal includes building additions, expanded employee parking and more traffic signs around the site, along with the company building a new building to manufacture its R2 Sport Utility Vehicle.

The council said the decision to construct a new firehouse was a process, and the council wanted to make sure the new station would help the Normal community.

“We knew it needed to be relocated,” said Town of Normal City Manager Pamela Reece. “So at the point where we define a location for future Station three, that of course would go into an analysis of where our calls are coming from, where it would grow, and how long it takes to respond to calls for service.”

Fire Station 2 will be built at the northeast corner of Hershey and Shepard Roads and will replace the fire station at College Avenue and Blair Drive.

Groundwork for the site is scheduled to begin in October with an estimated construction schedule lasting approximately a year.

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