The Town Council will consider hiring the firm of Hunt & Caraway Architects LTD to design proposed Fire Station 2 at its Thursday, April 7, meeting.

The council meeting will begin at 5 p.m. with an executive session that is scheduled to last until 6:30 p.m., followed by the public session.

The proposed architectural design is $315,197. The town plans to relocate its current Fire Station 2, located on Saguaro Boulevard south of Shea, to a new site on Fountain Hills Boulevard just north of Shea.

The town has budgeted $3.6 million for the project from Capital Improvement Funds. Actual cost is anticipated at somewhat less.

Fire department officials said the relocation is needed to address seriously lagging response times, as well as help balance the call volume between Station 1 on Palisades at Avenue of the Fountains and Station 2.

Design elements that will be integrated into the facility include a single-story building with three apparatus bays. The equipment to be housed at the site would include a standard pumper engine, a brush truck, rescue/ambulance vehicle and a back-up pumper.

The building will be designed to accommodate a staff of six firefighters.

A current schedule calls for architect selection by the end of February. Design work is expected to carry through the summer with the construction bidding process to take place in the fall.

It is anticipated that construction can begin early in 2017 with completion around the end of that calendar year.

Installation of traffic signal improvements at Palisades and Fountain Hills Boulevards also will be voted upon at this week’s meeting. Town staff recommends a $118,181 agreement with Red Hawk Solutions of Peoria for the project.