The Galesburg City Council voted 6-0 Monday night to demolish the former Maple Avenue fire station at 647 Maple Ave., clearing the way for work to begin on a building that has sat vacant for more than two decades.
The Council awarded a $94,680 demolition contract to D&T Demolition LLC of Galesburg. The station was built in 1907 and has been used primarily for storage since the Fremont Street Station opened in 2002. Work is expected to begin within 30 days of a Notice to Proceed and be substantially complete by the end of August. The land will be incorporated into Bateman Park.
Seventh Ward Alderman Steve Cheesman asked City Manager Eric Hanson to explain why demolition made more sense than rehabilitation. Hanson said Fire Chief Randy Hovind opened the building for public walkthroughs and invited contractors to assess it, but no contractor made an offer to take on a rehab project. A separate assessment by Estes Construction of Galesburg estimated the cost to make the facility usable and ADA compliant at $1.5 to $1.6 million — and if the second floor were to be used for a public purpose, an elevator would be required, pushing the total to roughly $1.8 million.
“At that point, we determined that the best course of action — although the demolition amount is not insignificant — it certainly is significantly less than the estimate for us to use it,” Hanson said. “And obviously not having any credible repurpose option, we recommended to council to move forward with demolition.”
There was no public comment on the item. The vote was 6-0. Third Ward Alderman Chuck Reynolds was not in attendance.
A previous contractor, Fowler Enterprises LLC, had been awarded a $55,700 demolition bid in July 2025 but declined to execute the contract, saying the bid was insufficient. The city claimed Fowler’s bid bond and re-bid the project. D&T Demolition was the only vendor to respond.
Previously: After original contractor walked away, Galesburg moves to demolish 1907 Maple Avenue fire station
Ten properties approved for demolition
The Council also voted 6-0 to award a $214,240 demolition contract to N.E. Finch Company of Peoria for 10 city-owned properties across Galesburg. All have been found to be either dangerous or not economically feasible to restore. Work is expected to begin in June and be complete by the end of July.
The properties approved for demolition are:
- 874 S. Seminary St.
- 1149 McClure St.
- 46 N. Pearl St.
- 99 N. Elm St.
- 362 N. Broad St.
- 714 Mulberry St.
- 794 E. Berrien St.
- 862 S. Seminary St.
- 1786 Bateman St.
- 1217 S. Pearl St.
Other action
In other business Monday, the Council voted 6-0 on the following items:
- Approved the consent agenda, which includes a new Food Truck Fridays event series, bringing food trucks and local vendors to Parking Lot H on Simmons Street between Prairie and Kellogg on the second Friday of each month from May through September. The event is hosted by Liv Bundy and is expected to draw approximately 150 attendees.
- Approved an $88,552.90 sidewalk replacement contract with Miller and Son Construction for various locations across the city, targeting deteriorated sections and ADA ramp compliance. Work is expected to begin this summer.
- Approved the annual disposal of obsolete city equipment, to be sold through the Purple Wave online auction system. Bicycles in working order will be donated to community organizations rather than auctioned.
- Approved a new 10-year maintenance agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation for the storm water pumps at the Sibley Underpass on East Main Street, maintaining the existing 50/50 cost split between the city and IDOT.
- Approved a $35,300 engineering agreement with Crawford, Murphy & Tilly to develop a phased inspection plan for the city’s 31-mile Oquawka water transmission main, installed in 1958.
The next meeting of the Galesburg City Council will be Monday, May 18.
