Many residents lined up to vote during the afternoon on Saturday to cast ballots, voting both for a new council and to approve borrowing for a fire hall. (Richard McGuire photo)
The newly elected mayor for the Town of Osoyoos says one of her top priorities after the new town council is sworn in December 1 will be to begin the tender process to award a contract to build a new fire hall.
Longtime Osoyoos Volunteer Fire Department Chief Rick Jones said that’s very good news.
After months of controversy, the residents of Osoyoos spoke out strongly in favour of building a new fire hall during a referendum held Saturday in conjunction with the 2014 municipal election.
A total of 913 local residents voted in favour of a bylaw to borrow $5.962 million to build the new fire hall, while 667 voted against the borrowing bylaw.
Property owners in the Town of Osoyoos will only be on the hook for $4 million of those costs as a deal has already been tentatively approved for the Osoyoos Indian Band and the Osoyoos Rural Fire Protection District will contribute $1.9 million towards the construction of a new fire hall.
The $4 million will be repaid over 30 years and will cost local taxpayers about $3.40 per month if they own a home with an average assessed price of $370,000.
Sue McKortoff, who won a landslide victory to become the first female mayor in town history, said building a new fire hall would become a top priority for the new council.
“I’m really pleased that the people of this community have spoken in favour of building a new fire hall,” she said. “I really think this is a very important project for our community moving forward.
“So many people have worked very hard over the past six or seven years to make this project a reality. Yes, it’s going to be a little bit costly, but it’s a project that will serve our community well for at least the next 50 years.”
McKortoff said she would like to see the tender process begin as quickly as possible so whichever company wins the tender can begin construction on a new fire hall early next spring.
Following the referendum victory, town council officially passed the Osoyoos Fire Hall Construction Loan Authorization Bylaw during its final meeting of the current council on Monday.
The process to build a new fire hall started with a study dating back to 2007.
The final Class B estimate for budgetary and borrowing requirements is $6,018,000 with a built-in allowance for a 10 per cent price fluctuation, bringing the total to $6.619 million, said Jim Zakall, the town’s director of financial services.
However, the town has secured federal gas tax funding in the amount of $407,000 and the Osoyoos Rural Fire Protection District is putting another $250,000 up front, said Zakall.
The town has also received approval from the Osoyoos Indian Band for their contribution to the fire hall.
That means the total amount in the borrowing bylaw local residents voted on during the referendum was $5.962 million.
This will be repaid over 30 years at an estimated 3.3 per cent interest rate, meaning the annual debt repayment is estimated at $303,082, said Zakall.
The rural fire protection district and Osoyoos Indian Band have agreed to pay $1.9 million towards the fire hall project, meaning Osoyoos residents have agreed to borrow $4 million towards the project.
The new fire hall will be built at the location of the town’s consultant on 74th Street on a piece of land formerly known as the Richter Property.
Jones admitted it has been very difficult for him and members of the local volunteer fire department as they tried to convince local residents this new fire hall was needed and the money that would be spent is justified.
“We are very happy and I’m just glad the community came together and the majority agreed we do need a new fire hall,” said Jones.
While most residents have supported the construction of a new fire hall for some time, many were not enthused when council approved the Alternate Approval Process, said Jones.
The issue was determined by voter assent (referendum) after more than 1,200 residents signed a petition opposing the AAP.
At the end of the day, almost 60 per cent of local residents who voted in the referendum were in favour of borrowing the money needed to build a not only a new fire hall, but training centre and emergency response headquarters for our community, said Jones.
“This became a very political issue and that became very tough at times,” said Jones. “But at the end of the day, the local residents saw the real need for a new fire hall in our community.”
Jones has no doubt building this new fire hall will result in more volunteer firefighters joining the local department.
“There have been several new fire halls built in the last few years in other communities in B.C. and with every new hall comes an increase in the number of recruits who want to join,” he said. “I expect the same kind of response here in Osoyoos.”
Longtime volunteers Bill Roque and Blake Ogilvy dedicated endless hours to preparing reports about the need for a new fire hall in Osoyoos and deserve a lot of credit for making this project a reality, he said.
“I would like to thank them and virtually every single volunteer member because they all worked hard to ensure this project would become a reality,” he said.
Outgoing Mayor Stu Wells said the strong vote in favour of borrowing the money to build a new fire hall clearly shows this project is wanted and will help improve community safety for decades to come.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
This conceptual drawing presented to councillors in their agenda package shows what the completed new fire hall could look like. Council has backed away from a referendum.
