Construction starting soon on new Hantsport fire station
Firefighters eager to see work get underway on their new home
Hantsport firefighters were on the edge of their seats last week, waiting to see if approval would finally be granted for construction on a new fire station. After several years of lobbying the municipal government, West Hants council unanimously approved the $3.1 million project June 22.
“Ecstatic,” said Paul Maynard, a longtime deputy chief, when asked how the membership was feeling after hearing the news.
“The membership is extremely pleased that the station is officially moving forward. As you know, it’s been a long road to get to where we’re at today.”
Maynard has been one of the driving forces behind the drive for a new station, citing numerous health and safety concerns at the existing site on Oak Street in Hantsport.
CONSTRUCTION
From cramped quarters and near misses with fire apparatus, to concerns over offgassing of gear, Maynard said they’re relieved to know a new station is on the horizon.
“I probably have a few extra grey hairs because of the process,” he said with a laugh, noting he’s happy to see the project progressing.
“We have a job as senior leaders in the fire service to protect the safety of the members and that was the paramount concern with the facility,” said Maynard. “I know that both council and the fire department have a fiscal responsibility to the taxpayers. There was a lot of healthy debate over it and like I said, we’re happy we all came to agreement that a station is needed.”
Avondale Construction was awarded the $3,186,591 contract (plus applicable taxes and contingencies). Although not the lowest bidder, they provided a truncated timeline in which to build the station — something the firefighters, public works staff and council saw as beneficial.
In a report to council, Todd Richard, the director of public works, noted that the lowest bidder recommended 18 months while the second lowest bidder indicated it could be done in seven months.
“A short construction schedule would have many benefits including HFD members having a new facility in less than a year, substantial reduction in time for temporary storage of equipment, public works having access to the full use of the Hantsport depot along with reduction in disruption in the area of construction,” Richard wrote.
The fixed sum bid provided by Avondale Construction included the cost of demolition and remediation of both buildings on the lot.
Richard indicated that Harvey Architecture, the firm hired to design the new building, felt “that although their proposed timeline is aggressive, it is indeed achievable” as Avondale Construction has built similar projects within a short timeframe.
“They are ready to roll right away,” said Maynard.
Hantsport firefighters had hoped to see shovels in the ground in early spring but those plans were put on hold after West Hants council revisited where the new fire hall should be built. The debate was between the existing location on Oak Street and the public works depot on Chittick Avenue. The existing location was the preferred spot and is where the new station will be built.
Throughout the month of June, firefighters have been packing up non-essential items. After the council meeting, they moved essential items to their temporary headquarters at the public works compound on Chittick Avenue. By Wednesday afternoon, the temporary space was looking more and more like a fire hall.
“Their objective right now is to get this building up and tight before we start to get into that cold winter weather later in the fall. They have a pretty aggressive timeline and they’re pretty confident they’ll be able to do it. That’s even more good news,” said Maynard.
“If everything goes well, we’re looking at probably a seven to eight month build versus a year to a year and a half, which is more good news on our end.”
Residents won’t notice a change in service or response time due to the firefighters moving into temporary quarters as the site is still located near Main Street in Hantsport and all the gear is available.
On June 23, public works employees were on site retrieving items that could be reused on other projects. It is anticipated the demolition of the buildings will begin in late June, early July.
NEIGHBOURS HELPING NEIGHBOURS
As part of the fire station construction, the neighbouring building that housed the Hantsport and Area Food Bank was deemed surplus and needed to be demolished. Knowing this, council provided funding to renovate a municipally-owned building on Foundry Road.
On June 19, Hantsport firefighters alongside food bank volunteers helped relocate the non-profit organization.
Maynard said it was the least they could do.
“We had close to 20 members assist with that move. That took most of Saturday morning to get them over and settled,” said Maynard.
He said the firefighters felt it was important to lend a hand since the group was being displaced due to the pending construction.
“It’s a very important part of our community and (we) definitely need them settled and up and running to support the community,” said Maynard of the food bank.
Maynard said one of the pleasant surprises of cleaning out the former fire hall and the storage areas was discovering forgotten photographs and memorabilia.
“We’ve been really tight for space over the last few years… and in going through the fire station and building storage, a lot of our members found a lot of historic items. In particular, a lot of old pictures that we haven’t been able to display for dozens of years, literally,” he said.
The discovery has reignited interest in the history of the fire department and Maynard said a group of firefighters will be working to restore and incorporate some of the items into the new station.
“We’re looking at ways we can preserve the history and show some of that history in the new building,” he said, noting there are photos dating back 100 years, some with no information included.
“That’s a side project that some of us are going to take on over the next few months in preparation of moving back into our new facility.”