Mayor Terrance Carr invited lifelong resident Phillip Svetich to cut the ribbon with an oversized pair of scissors as those gathered applauded. Svetich is the father of retired police chief Steve Svetich.
“Today starts the celebration of 100 years of McCook,” Carr said.
The new entrance marks the first visible phase of the village’s centennial year. The redesigned entryway is handicapped-accessible, includes a small foyer, and was designed to be inviting while preserving the building’s character. Architect Rick Lukasik said the goal was to “bring the building up to the 21st century.”
The brickwork matches the original so seamlessly that it’s hard to tell where the new and old meet, Carr noted.
The entrance is part of a larger redesign that added bays to the firehouse. Lukasik said the foyer includes an intercom system for residents who need to reach police after hours. Radiant heating tubes beneath the paving will melt snow during winter months, making the entrance safer to navigate.
The angled roof supports “kind of reach out to people and make it more dynamic than it was,” Lukasik said.
Chris Jenke, who manages AllStar Bar & Grill on 47th Street, attended the ceremony. He praised the seamless integration of old and new.
“It’s great what Lukasik has done with the addition to the firehouse garage, how it matches,” Jenke said. “Seamless. All the same brick. All the same mortar. It’s really nice.”
The ribbon cutting followed the May 4 village board meeting and included free hot dogs and gelato from Joey’s Red Hots.
Carr announced the centennial celebration will continue with events after village board meetings on the first Monday in June, July, and August. The village’s main centennial party is scheduled for Sept. 19 at The Max.