Gilson, IL – Illinois Fire Departments in need of new or updated facilities now have a new source of funding to tap in to.
The fire station loan bill was sponsored by State Representative Don Moffitt.
He says it sets up an interest free revolving loan fund. This will make it easier to build, rehabilitate, or remodel fire stations. "So if they are needing to add on to a fire station, make improvements, or build a new one, this would provide that they could borrow up to $2-million for up to 25 years with no interest," says Moffitt. "That would drastically reduce the cost of construction of the fire station."
"What this would provide for in our communities around the state is an opportunity to improve public safety and provide a better place for their fire department to meet, train, and store high priced equipment," Moffitt says.
"In addition to improving public safety, it creates construction jobs," says Moffitt. "We have increasing costs all the time for equipment and costs of fire departments. This really follows two other programs of interest free revolving loan funds. The first one was for fire trucks and the second was for ambulances."
The Gilson Republican says he's already received a number of phone calls from fire departments around the state about the revolving loan fund. Moffitt hopes some state capital dollars and federal money can be put in the fund to build it up.