ST CHARLES, Mo. — First responders in St. Charles are about to see major changes to one of the city’s fire stations.
A groundbreaking ceremony will take place Monday for Fire Station No. 3.
The city determined years ago that some of the public works buildings needed to be updated. Among them was Fire Station No. 3, which opened in 1966 and was beginning to show its age.
The building will look a lot different in the next year. The new building will replace the existing station at 2817 Elm Street., using funds from Proposition R for the construction.
Prop R was passed in April 2021 to support the City of St. Charles Police and Fire departments with facility upgrades, repairs and relocation of some of the city’s fire station buildings. The proposition is a general obligation bond, so residents didn’t see their taxes increase after it was passed.
The City of St. Charles said the current Fire Station No. 3 building isn’t as safe as it should be. The building has several structural issues, including flooding problems and electrical hazards that would require expensive repairs.
The current station also isn’t able to accommodate the size of the department’s modern equipment, which places limits on the resources available to firefighters. The building overall is too small, preventing the fire department from hiring more staff to work the service area.
During the construction process, firefighters who normally work at Fire Station No. 3 will house and work out of Station No. 1 on 6th Street in St. Charles.
The construction at Station No. 3 is expected to be completed by fall 2023.
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