JANESVILLE – The city of Janesville is considering relocating a westside fire station across from Franklin Middle School, that it says is too small and can’t be expanded on the existing site due to an adjacent Alliant Energy substation.
City officials are scheduled to present to the Janesville School Board on Tuesday night an idea for a new site, about a block away and still on N. Crosby Avenue, just south of the middle school and west of Madison Elementary School.
Set to be on hand for the presentation are City Manager Kevin Lahner, Fire Chief Ryan Murphy and City Engineer Brad Reents.
The school board meeting is at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the boardroom at the School District of Janesville's Educational Services Center, 527 S. Franklin St.
According to a report included in Tuesday meeting documents, Fire Station #3, at 435 N. Crosby Ave., is one of five fire stations across the city. It was built in 1969 and expanded in 2001. In 2022, an ambulance company with two firefighter/paramedics was added to the space.
The city recently completed a facility analysis of the station, assessing the condition of the current 6,300-square-foot building, weighing the feasibility of remodeling or expanding it at the current site, and assessing the space needs of its modern operation.
Out of that study came a recommendation for a 10,950-square-foot building, that the city said would meet the fire department’s current and future operational needs.
The report notes that if a new site were chosen, the current station could remain operating until that opens. With good response coverage from the current location, the city says it would be “ideal” if the new location were somewhere on N. Crosby Avenue.
According to the report, discussions are expected to continue through the spring about a possible new site. If the city moves forward, design work would happen in 2026. Construction would begin in 2027 and take about a year to complete.
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