A new fire hall is being proposed in the Town of LaSalle.
John Dupuis Park on Hazel Street is the suggested site for the station which would help provide better coverage to the western part of the municipality.
Mayor Ken Antaya says some residents are concerned about the location, but he believes when they see the entire proposal those concerns will be put to rest.
The plan calls for an unmanned station that will only be used when the town's volunteer firefighters receive a call...attached to the station will be a community room and redesigned park.
Antaya says better fire coverage is a good thing.
"A lot of people have a misconception that there's going to be cars running in and out there at breakneck speeds. Well, our town has approximately 300 calls annually, some that are going to be taken care of by the main station on Normandy Street. I live next door to the Normandy station and, to tell you the truth, there's some comfort to having it there."
He says the station has been in the works for quite some time.
"This isn't something that's just fallen from the sky. It's something that we've been preparing for and likely are going to be repeating it on the east portion of the municipality sometime in the future as well. Our intention here is to make sure that the coverage throughout the municipality is second to none."
Antaya adds he's looking forward to hearing from residents.
"Obviously, we want to listen to their concerns. If there's something that we've missed we're going to consider it. We're hoping everybody takes it for what it is, a symbol of safety. When the professionals tell you that this is one of the ideal locations for a fire station, you sort of heed their advice."
Residents will have a chance to provide input at an open house Wednesday night from 4pm to 7pm in LaSalle Council Chambers.
If approved, construction on the new station could begin before the end of this year.