Above: Danville Fire Station 2 at North Vermilion and Chester
The Danville City Council Public Works Committee has approved investments to get three major projects closer to reality. One concerns the planned demolition of Bresee Tower. It’s a $63,000 deal with the Farnsworth Group to help get bidding documents in line, and essentially help the city stay organized for a major tear down project it has never handled before. Public Works Director Carl Carpenter says there is much to figure out. Just one example is what kind of fill to use for the Bresee Tower basement. Carpenter says that would be influenced by what the city plans to do with the location; such as a parking lot or a new structure.
AUDIO: A structure that size especially, no one’s even sure what’s under the ground now. But we have to make sure that whatever we fill it with is going to be proper for years and year and years to come.

Meanwhile, with work on Boiling Springs Road west of North Vermilion planned down the road, about $267,000 in preliminary engineering work is needed first. Carpenter cited a few examples.
AUDIO: We have to do all the ground survey, they have to lay everything out. We have to do some bore casting, as is normal in any road project. And as it states in the resolution, there’s a possibility that we might have to purchase some right-of-way properties in order to get the sidewalks put in as well.

Finally, Danville is coming to a major fork in the road when it comes to fire stations. Population has dropped and shifted significantly over the last several decades. Evaluators will be coming into each and every station, and checking out everything from adequacy for equipment; to how quickly calls are answered and where the calls come from. Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr says one way or another, major fire station changes are coming.
AUDIO: Since we’re going to have to spend a lot of money, I think it’s wise for us to pause and take a look. See if they’re in the right places, and if they are, then we need to fix them. If not, then we need to look at how do we get them in the right places to ensure that our citizens and our businesses are as safe as possible.
The city will be spending $76,000 for this assessment. Public Works Director Carpenter stated that this amount is right in line with what other communities are spending.








