Villa Park fire chief Steve Stapleton pitches converting temporary firehouse into permanent Station 82 to save millions

Village Manager Mike Rebus opened Friday’s "Coffee with the Board" session in Villa Park, inviting residents to tour a converted recreation building and weigh in on whether it should become a permanent fire station.

Fire Chief Steve Stapleton told attendees the village faces persistent recruitment and retention challenges and widespread deferred maintenance at its two existing stations. "When you call 911, you need someone there," Stapleton said, arguing the department’s facility shortfalls were hindering staffing and operations.

Stapleton described the results of recent facility assessments for Station 81 and Station 82, citing mold in HVAC systems, an aging boiler, a crumbling bay floor and a basement at Station 82 that floods. He said those repairs often trigger code upgrades that expand the project’s scope and costs.

Because of those constraints, Stapleton proposed converting the temporary firehouse — a former recreation building the department currently occupies — into a permanent Station 82. He presented preliminary cost comparisons: roughly $800,000 to retrofit Station 82’s basement showers and repair the bay floor (an approximate figure given in the meeting), versus potential multi‑million‑dollar costs for an addition to Station 81. "This might work," Stapleton said of the converted site, urging a long‑range 20–30 year view.

Stapleton said the village currently budgets some work for Station 82 but recommended pausing that immediate construction and first paying for a structural assessment of the temporary building (the chief cited an estimated $8,500). If that assessment is favorable, he proposed a design‑build RFQ (estimated at about $80,000) to produce costed options and renderings for the board to review.

Operational capacity shaped the discussion. Stapleton said Villa Park runs about 3,400 emergency calls a year and that two engines and two ambulances require roughly 10 personnel per shift; the department’s authorized roster was described as 27 but daily staffing is often below the ideal, he said. The proposed conversion would reclaim office space and add bunk and bathroom capacity to allow for future hires, Stapleton said.

Residents and retired personnel generally supported acting on station repairs while urging the village to plan for longer‑term growth. "If anybody who's been on the train lately and gone east of here, it's nothing but high rise after high rise," said Darrell, a longtime resident, urging the village to "think a little bigger." Dale Borstee, a retired fire commissioner, said the department deserves upgraded facilities: "This is something that is actually really needed."

Some attendees raised trade‑offs. Neighbors asked about losing green space and suggested moving playground equipment a short distance rather than removing it. Stapleton said preserving green space is important but framed the choice as a trade‑off against roughly $10–$15 million — the chief’s rough estimate for building a new station on new land — plus the cost of land acquisition.

Public‑safety issues beyond facilities came up. Stapleton described concerns about lithium‑ion vehicle fires and said the village is considering locating charging stations near exits, working with local towing/storage partners to isolate thermal‑runaway vehicles, and using physical barriers to contain incidents. He said many departments use containment and controlled‑burn protocols for damaged electric vehicles.

On recruitment, Stapleton said he asked a visiting representative about lowering the minimum firefighter age from 21 to 18 and was told the age limit stems from Illinois law; he said a proposal to reduce the age has been discussed but did not cite a statute number. Manager Mike Rebus mentioned that the president of COD had discussed potential training or classroom space with the village (the transcript refers to the institution as "COD"; the meeting did not provide a full institutional name).

Next steps outlined by officials: authorize the structural assessment of the temporary building, use the assessment to scope a design‑build RFQ, and return findings and firm cost estimates to the village board before any construction funds are committed. The session closed with an invitation for attendees to tour the building with the chief; the meeting was adjourned and the tour began at about 10:25 a.m. per the transcript.

This discussion is conceptual: officials repeatedly described the figures as estimates and said any major construction would require board approval and formal budgeting.