OSOYOOS, B.C. — It’s a controversial idea: spending $6.6 million dollars to build a new fire hall in Osoyoos. More than a thousand residents signed a petition against the project, but when it came time to vote on it during the municipal election, a majority of taxpayers approved. The referendum results show 913 in favour of it and 667 against.
Fire Chief Rick Jones is thrilled with the outcome, saying the new, larger fire hall will provide a better training facility for volunteer firefighters.
“The new building is going to be developed with a training tower so we can actually practice multi-storey building rescues and firefighting techniques. There will also be a place where we can do our auto extrication training and pumping techniques,” says Jones.
He has been advocating for a new fire hall for the last seven years, explaining that the current hall faces many deficiencies.
“It is much too small. The trucks have to be custom-built to fit through the doors. It’s run its time. There isn’t proper water inside, no proper storage, and it doesn’t meet any of the safety standards set through WorkSafeBC. So it is time to move onto a new fire hall.”
The current fire hall is located in the same building as Town Hall. The new one will be located on 74 Avenue, just off of Highway 97S.
Construction of the hall is estimated to be $6,619,800, which includes a 10% contingency allowance.
The town has already secured $407,000 in provincial grants and the Osoyoos Rural Fire Protection District (ORFPD) is contributing up-front $250,000 of its share of the cost.
This leaves nearly $6 million in borrowing from the provincial Municipal Finance Authority over 30 years.
The Osoyoos Indian Band and ORFPD are contributing $2 million, while local taxpayers will pay the remaining $4 million over 30 years.
The cost for each household is based on the value of their property.
“For most people, it will be about $40 a year,” says mayor-elect Sue McKortoff. “That means they will be having one less coffee or a meal out for the year, so I think it is very affordable.”
There’s no set timeline for the fire hall construction yet, but Jones estimates that once shovels are in the ground, it will take 14 months to build the fire hall.
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