Plans to relocate or build one or two new Quincy fire stations could be moving forward with a "request for qualifications" posted on the city's website.
The notice seeks proposals for "consulting architectural services for the selection of land, building design and the construction of up to two" new Quincy fire stations. Firms are being asked to send their qualifications to the city's Purchasing Department by 4 p.m. July 28.
"This is a baby step," Mayor Kyle Moore said. "We're going to be looking at sites and different scenarios."
Moore, Fire Chief Joe Henning and several members of the Quincy City Council have discussed the need to tweak the city's fire station coverage. Some areas of Quincy have slower response times by fire crews because the population has grown and housing and business development has shifted, notably on the east side of town.
The last time the city built a fire station was in 1975, when Fire Station 3 opened at 334 S. 36th.
"That was the far edge of town back then. In the last 40 years, you can see how far we've grown to the east," Moore said.
The reopening of Fire Station 6 at 24th and Cedar has led to discussions about the optimum location for fire stations.
Henning put together a rough estimate two years ago that it would cost $1.2 million to build a fire station. That was based on a 6,000-square-foot floor plan with construction costs of about $200 per square foot. Architects and engineers were not brought into the planning process then because there was no assurance that the city was ready to build.