Fire Chief Rick Jones says a new fire hall is badly needed as the current one no longer meets community needs. (Keith Lacey photo)
Not a single person who attended last Thursday’s public meeting relating to borrowing almost $6 million to build a new fire hall in the Town of Osoyoos was opposed to the project.
However, many of the 80 or so local residents who attended the meeting at the Sonora Community Centre were opposed to the $8 million price tag for the project, while others were upset that town council has opted to use the Alternate Approval Process (AAP), instead of a public referendum.
Earlier this summer, council announced it would not be holding a referendum as originally planned and instead announced the use of the AAP, which puts the onus on members of the public to sign a petition.
If 10 per cent of eligible voters in the town (475 local residents) sign the petition, council will be forced to hold a referendum on the proposed fire hall borrowing bylaw.
Mayor Stu Wells defended council’s decision to use the AAP method saying many other municipalities have used it when dealing with “big ticket items” in their respective communities.
A referendum would have cost more than $8,000 to hold, while the AAP won’t cost taxpayers anything, said Wells.
“This alternate approval process is not costing us anything … and it will provide a real good gauge of what the public wants,” he said. “We feel this is an open, fair and transparent process that is serving the needs of most of the people of Osoyoos.”
Sy Murseli, who proudly calls himself “the council watchdog” and has spoken out against numerous decisions made by council over the past several years, vehemently opposed the AAP and said a public referendum is the only proper way to allow taxpayers to make the final decision about a new fire hall.
“Please give us the chance to vote at the ballot box,” said Murseli.
Murseli said he is convinced that when the final tally for the new fire hall is counted, it will cost more than $10 million.
“We do need a new fire hall, but we don’t need a mega fire hall,” he said. “Right now there is a bad feeling in our community (about the fire hall), so let us, the taxpayers, decide on ballots on November 15. This is our future.”
Council remains adamant that holding a referendum on the fire hall as part of the November 15 municipal election is not something they wanted to do as selecting a new mayor and council should not be tied in any way to making a final decision on a new fire hall for this community, said Wells.
Rick Jones, chief of the Osoyoos Volunteer Fire Department, said the current fire hall on Main Street adjacent the town hall is more than 50 years old and no longer serves the needs of the community or his volunteer members.
There are very few parking spots for volunteers, limited space for fire trucks and equipment and no facilities for proper training, said Jones.
“We have to back in our trucks over busy sidewalks on Main Street” after every call, said Jones.
Because of the age of the building, it takes far too long to fill fire trucks with water and those same trucks emit strong exhaust fumes, which members of town staff have to smell and inhale on a regular basis, said Jones.
The current fire hall doesn’t meet numerous WorkSafe BC standards and there is no possibility of expanding the current site, he said.
“This building is 50 years old and is in dire need of significant changes” and the need for a new fire hall dates back almost a decade, said Jones.
The town also continues to grow with close to 5,000 residents and another 2,000 who live in the rural district and Osoyoos First Nation, he said.
“We all know what occurs during the summer months when our population regularly swells to more than 15,000 people,” he said.
The new fire hall, to be located on 74 Avenue near Hwy. 97 on land purchased by the town, would remedy all of the existing location’s deficiencies and provide for future community growth, said Jones.
The new fire hall would be built to post disaster specifications and include four bays, improved administration office, training and storage space, a kitchen and effective emergency operations centre for the town, he said.
Members would be able to provide safe and effective emergency response routes to all fire protection areas in the town and rural district, he said.
Jim Zakall, the town’s director of financial services, said the borrowing costs can’t exceed $5.962 million and would be repaid over 30 years, at a cost of $43.69 per property owner or less than $3.65 per month.
Osoyoos resident Ray Vandenburg said he objected to comments posted by Jones on the town’s website indicating that anyone who signs the petition is casting a vote against the new fire hall.
“This is misinforming the public … and nothing more than fear tactics and bullying,” said Vandenburg.
Jones responded by saying, “if that’s how you feel, then that’s how you feel … but if this project doesn’t go ahead, it will be a huge expense to this community down the road.
“As for your comments suggesting some of my firefighters are bullying people, I take offence to that and strongly disagree.”
Ernie Westphal, who calls Osoyoos home after living and working in Prince George for 35 years as a full-time firefighter, said he strongly supports the new fire hall as proposed and didn’t agree with those who think the costs are too high.
“I’ve taken a good like at this (proposed fire hall) and there are no luxuries in this plan,” he said. “I know some people get scared when you’re talking $5 to $7 million, but that’s what it costs.
“The only luxuries I see at all are glass windows and doors. It looks really good and I hope everyone in this community will approve the design and building of this new fire hall.”
Glen Warkentin, who recently moved to Osoyoos after a 28-year career as a firefighter in Vancouver, asked Jones if there was any consideration of reducing the size and cost of the new fire hall.
“I’m not suggesting we don’t have a new fire hall, but was wondering if you might have tried to trim the budget just a little bit,” he said.
Blake Ogilvy, a longtime Osoyoos volunteer firefighter who headed up the committee to look at all options for a new fire hall, said the final design accepted best suits the needs of the community and volunteers, while meeting all WorkSafe BC regulations and providing a proper training centre for members.
“We looked at six bays, four bays and three bays,” he said. “We looked at one and two-storeys. At the end of the day, this is the size of fire hall we need. We went back and forth on every issue and settled on this plan as what’s best for this community’s needs.”
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
