Closed New Lenox Fire Station May Reopen With Mayor's Help

NEW LENOX, IL - New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann told Patch he plans do everything in his power to get the now-shuttered Cedar Road fire station reopened. Last week, the fire protection district, a separate taxing body from the village of New Lenox, announced it was closing Station 2, which was one of four stations in the growing village. Eight staff were also laid off, the mayor said.

The cuts were made in response to the March 20 primary election results. Residents in the fire protection district, by a couple hundred votes, defeated a measure that called for a property tax increase to increase the funding levels at the New Lenox Fire District.

Baldermann announced on Facebook on Monday that he will bring a proposal before the village board at next Monday's meeting that calls for giving the fire district a zero-interest loan, of about $450,000, enough money to keep the Cedar Road station open through the remainder of the year, he said.

"The loan would come from property taxes and be paid back over an extended period of time once a referendum is passed," the mayor declared. "A referendum needs to be passed in November or the consequences will be even more dire than just one station closing."

RELATED: New Lenox Closes Fire Station

On Monday evening, Baldermann told Patch he expects the New Lenox Fire District will try once again in November to pass the referendum for the tax increase. He believes that many more people will show up to vote in November, since that's a general election as opposed to a primary.

He said it's essential for New Lenox to keep the Cedar Road station open.

"We can't have that closed for the safety of everyone in the district," he said.

Although Baldermann wanted to the referendum to succeed, "I was not overly surprised" that it lost in a primary election, he said.

"It's tough to pass a referendum," he said. "Hopefully, in a general election, there will be a different outcome."

Image via New Lenox Fire District