'It's been a long time coming'

The new Steeleville fire station is a link to both the past and future.

Completed 71 days ahead of schedule and $64,000 below budget, the $1.46 million facility combines the original 1941 building with six new vehicle bays with an eye toward future expansion.

Financing for the building was handled through the Steeleville Improvement Association, which is technically the owner.

The village is leasing the station from the SIA for the next 17 years, with payments made through TIF funds - which will allow the SIA to invest in future Steeleville projects. At the end of 17 years, ownership will revert back to the village.

"The space is the big thing, but the facility itself, you don't have to back in anymore," said Steeleville Fire Chief Rich Reitz, referencing a common issue with the old fire station. "We're pulling trucks straight through now and that's a big plus."

Fire vehicles have rear access to the station off of Hancock Street and pull out onto North Sparta Street across from Steeleville Village Hall and the old fire station.

"We've got a lot nicer kitchen facility, we've got a lot nicer training room," Reitz said. "The training room has got a lot of the state-of-the-art stuff. Everything from iPads to big screen TVs."

The SFD housed its 1936 Chevrolet half-ton pumper in a garage on the corner of Broadway and Sparta streets until the village constructed a two-story, combination village hall/fire station at 206 N. Sparta St. in 1941.

The building continued to serve both purposes until the current village hall was constructed in 1982, when both village offices and the fire department were moved across the street.

The old building was home to a variety of businesses in the years to come and was vacant prior to the current project. Construction began in August 2016 and the SFD moved in during the weekend of May 5-6.

GRS Construction, of Columbia, was the general contractor.

The downstairs portion of the 1941 building contains a museum to Steeleville's firefighting past, including the building's original blueprints framed on one wall along with photographs of significant fires over the years.

Upstairs contains the fire chief's office, a large meeting area, kitchen and a separate meeting office for officers. The building also contains a commercial-sized washer and elevator, with an emergency generator outside.

"Our training facility, our meeting room is now going to lend us to actually do a lot more with other departments too," Reitz said. "Bring Percy over and cross-train with some of them, there's a plus there."

Reitz also noted the facility has a bigger communications tower, which will help with radio reception. There is also space for a ladder truck, should the village ever purchase one.

"You never know where you're gonna go, even in a small town like this," Reitz said. "We built it big enough that if Steeleville ever grows, this place has room to grow."

Reitz noted the SFD has 23 firefighters on its roster, with the goal of around 25 or under. He was asked what it was like as a new chief to have a new facility as well.

"I told (former chief) Carlos (Barbour), 'you jumped out too early,'" Reitz said. "He had his own reasons and I wish he wouldn't have.

"It would have been great had he stuck around a little longer to make this thing work because he had a lot of input on the design and everything we picked out from the ground floor up."

Reitz noted that it was bittersweet for him personally as he's not too far away from retirement, having joined the SFD in November of 1982.

"I've got good people behind me, so I'm not having to do a whole lot, it's kinda easy," he said. "(Assistant Chief) Mike (Armstrong) has taken care of most of this building with the construction and between him, (Village Supervisor) Lyn Thies and (Mayor) Bob Sutton, it's definitely a joint effort."

On Saturday, as part of an open house to formally unveil the new station to the public, Sutton honored Thies, Armstrong and United Ironworkers President Kim Rasnick with awards for their help in the project.

"It's been a long time coming," Sutton said.

Rasnick paid for his workers to erect the steel for the project, saving the village more than $60,000.

In brief remarks prior to the ribbon cutting, Sutton noted how much time and effort Thies and Armstrong, who was named an honorary fire chief, spent on the firehouse.

"He spent almost all his non-work time on the firehouse," Sutton said of Thies. "Everything from sweeping floors to hanging blinds."