Orange Village interviews four architecture teams for new fire station, Village Hall renovations; decision set for September

Orange Village Council held a special meeting Aug. 18 to hear four architecture firms’ proposals to design a new fire station and to renovate Village Hall to accommodate police, administration and community uses. Mayor Klein opened the session saying, “The purpose of the meeting tonight is to interview architecture firms, related to the new potential new fire station and refurbishment of Village Hall and the police department.”

Council members allowed 30 minutes per firm and heard presentations from Bialoski Partners; Richard L. Bowen & Associates; DS Architecture (with K2M); and Prospectus Architecture (with Mullen Weitman). Each firm outlined its experience on municipal and public‑safety projects, approaches to stakeholder engagement and how it produces preliminary cost estimates. No contract award or formal vote was taken; council members said they plan to make a selection at the council’s first September meeting.

The interviews followed work the village began in 2022 to assess how to meet modern fire and police needs after officials concluded a prior renovation plan would be only a short‑term ‘‘band‑aid’’ fix. Mayor Klein told the council the village has identified a roughly 2‑acre parcel near Harvard and Brainerd as a logical…