In the property market
After years of delays, Summerside looking for and to build fire hall
SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. – Those with two acres of land for sale near Lefurgey Avenue in Summerside should contact city hall. Ciy officals want to make a deal.
After years of false starts and waylaid plans, the city is actively looking for a home for a new fire hall.
The 2022/2023 municipal budget includes $1 million for the project and a request for proposals (RFP) has now been issued for landowners interested in providing the needed land. Interested parties have until March 30 to submit their property for consideration.
This is the furthest the fire hall replacement project has ever gotten, said Coun. Barb Ramsay, chair of council’s fire services committee.
“It’s really our first big step,” said Ramsay.
“Hopefully it’s all going to come together very quickly when a decision is made on a piece of land.”
Summerside’s current primary fire hall (Station
1) at 251 Foundry St. is more than 60 years old and a 2020 review of the building found a long list of issues and deficiencies. The building has also routinely suffered structural damage during powerful storms in recent years. There had been discussions about whether the current structure could be rehabilitated, but the city has decided the more costeffective
solution is to build new.
Summerside Fire Chief Ron Enman said the members of his department are looking forward to seeing the project advance.
“I think there’s a lot of excitement. It’s been talked about for a long time,” said Enman.
He echoed Ramsay’s hope that, once an appropriate piece of land can be secured, construction can get underway as soon as possible.
“I mean it all takes time, but I think a lot of preliminary work over the years that’s been done will really tie in with this new build,” he said.
Part of the reason Summerside is finally starting to
move ahead with the project is that potential funding avenues have been opened up that could help pay for it. In the past, the biggest hurdle the city faced was securing investments from other levels of government, as new fire halls did not qualify for most forms of infrastructure funding. Changes announced last year to previously existing programs, including the important federal Canada CommunityBuilding Fund (formerly the Gas Tax Fund) mean firefighting infrastructure can now qualify.
Regardless of what funding may or may not be available, council felt it was time to advance the project, said Ramsay.
“What we can get federally or provincially for a fire hall is yet to be seen, but we just feel it’s time to move forward,” she said.
“With the condition of the old fire hall and it being one of the last municipal buildings in Summerside to even get looked at – it’s time.”
The significance of the
205 Lefurgey Ave. address is that it is at the centre of the city’s fire protection catchment area, making the general area ideal for a station looking to minimize response times and optimize fire insurance coverage.
When city staff evaluate responses to the RFP, land close to that address will score additional points on the rating system.