The municipality’s ability to move forward on the building of a new firehall will be left up to community members this coming weekend. General voting on whether or not to approve the borrowing of up to $3 million to build the fire hall will take place at the Municipal Hall on Saturday August 19. A number of Bowen Islander have been urging people to get out and vote, and mostly, to vote yes.
In a letter posted on social media, Tim and Jennifer Pardee looked to the devastation caused by wildfires through out British Columbia to emphasize the importance of bringing Bowen’s fire fighting infrastructure up to date.
The main fire hall on Grafton Road was determined to be seismically unsound in a 2002 report, and in 2008 another report recommended an entirely new hall be built instead of attempting to upgrade the old one.
“My biggest concern at the moment is - if an earthquake happened before the completion of this project, what would we do?” Asks former councillor Cro Lucas. “The building we have now is structurally unsound. It served its purpose as a garage, we can’t leave the fire department’s equipment in there and we can’t leave it out in the open.”
Lucas says the fire hall issue has been on his mind since early in his first term at council in 2008.
“One of the first things Fire Chief Brian Biddlecomb did after the 2008 election was show us how inadequate the fire hall is, and it has taken a long time to get even to this point in the plan for a new one,” says Lucas. “There are no ‘butts’ in my mind about this, everything is positive. The chosen location is the cheapest place to build, and if you’re going to build, don’t just build what you’re going to need in the next five years - build what you’ll need in fifty. The plan is definitely not too extravagant.”
Another former councillor, Peter Frinton (on council between 1999 - 2011, with a two year break in the middle) says he also believes a “yes” vote is the way to go, but has some reservations about current plan for the new hall.
“I’ve looked at about 10 different fire halls, from Whistler, to West Vancouver, Pender, Mayne Island and some on Vancouver Island,and chatted with a number of fire chiefs” says Frinton. “ I don’t pretend to be en expert, but I think we should distinguish between what is needed and what is wanted.”
Frinton’s concerns lay not in the location of the proposed hall, but that the land is not being used to maximum benefit or efficiency. He feels that forty parking stalls are excessive and that the drive through configuration of three double bays requires too much valuable land. Frinton also questions why the indoor training facility and social area is not put on a second floor of the station, or even using the old hall, if upgraded, for the latter purpose. He also wonders about synergies for other community uses, partnering with RCMP, or even creating affordable housing above.
“I think we have to move forward on a new hall, but I am hoping that after the referendum passes, Council can put their foot down and say yes, we’ve got the money, but we should negotiate the design details. However, I’m not sure they’ll be willing to challenge the fire department on such issues,” says Frinton. “Balancing these considerations is the fact that the firemen are largely volunteer, and deserve strong support.”
The land required for the new fire hall proposal is roughly one-acre, and the municipality is estimating that the new building will cost the average property owner $68 per year over the next 30 years.
