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 site for a new station and that the overall objective is to develop plans, an accurate budget and a recommendation on project delivery and financing ahead of a possible bond question.

Jack Bialoski, principal of Bialoski Partners, emphasized local experience and firm culture, saying, “We are the only firm amongst the ones that you're considering who's an AIA gold medal firm, which means that we are considered by our peers to be held in very high esteem.” Paul Deutsch, managing principal with Bialoski Partners, described the team’s fire‑station experience and on‑call consultants, including a retired fire chief who consults on station programming and operations.

Firms uniformly stressed the importance of a detailed programming phase and third‑party cost estimating to produce reliable estimates for a public bond effort. Several teams said they regularly engage construction estimators (firms named in the presentations included CC&E and CSS/NV5) and recommended early, detailed programming and site investigation to reduce surprises in renovation work. As Prospectus and other presenters noted, timing matters: the shorter the span between estimate and construction, the smaller the risk from market escalation.

Candidates discussed stakeholder engagement and phasing. Bowen representatives described user surveys, focus groups and community outreach used on prior civic projects. DS Architecture’s team called for a “core team” of village staff, police and fire representatives to meet frequently in early phases and suggested weekly touchpoints during intensive design work. Multiple firms advised building the new fire station first so the police department could move into vacated space during renovation.

Sustainability and renewable energy were raised by council members. Some firms said they have used solar, geothermal or other measures in institutional and commercial work but that municipal projects often require an analysis of first cost versus long‑term savings; several recommended designing for future solar additions if initial budgets preclude full deployment.

A resident email read into the record asked council to delay any selection so residents would have more time to review proposals. The email said in part: “I respectfully request that council delay making any evening in choosing an architectural firm to budget, design, and manage the building of a fire station and renovation of Village Hall… This type of project should in no way be a rushed decision.” Stacy, the sender identified in the record, urged more public review before a firm is chosen.

Council discussion at the meeting focused on process and timing. Members asked whether the village should hire a single firm to lead both projects or split the work between two firms; several councilors and the mayor noted both approaches have pros and cons for continuity and workload. No formal motion was made. Council agreed to take time to ‘‘chew on’’ the presentations and hold deliberations and a selection vote at the council’s first September meeting.

What’s next: council staff will draft a scope of services and the law director will help prepare a contract template. If council selects a firm and proceeds with preliminary design, the firms said the next steps would be programming, schematic design with a cost estimate suitable for a bond measure and public outreach ahead of any ballot question. Council members reiterated they will hold further public discussion before any final selection or bond measure is placed before voters.

Because council did not take formal action at the Aug. 18 meeting, selection of an architect or architects remains pending and the village made no commitments to schedule or financing beyond confirming a decision window in September.