Parksville council is looking at three options for improvements to the fire hall, as part of financial planning discussions.
The three options presented to council are an $1- million renovation, a new hall for $29 million or upgrades for higher service levels and occupational health and safety requirements, that range between $2 million and $10 million.
The renovation option could be done without an increase to property taxes, due to a number of available funding sources, including $3.3 million from the Regional District of Nanaimo through a fire service agreement, according to Director of Finance Jedha Holmes.
“Essentially the city needs to come up with $7.7 million,” Holmes said during council's Nov. 4 meeting.
The project could be funded through the Growing Communities Fund and gas tax ($1.5 million), $650,000 in years of accumulated development cost charges, surpluses within department operating budgets ($1.3 million) and $1.2 million in property tax contributions from the past four years, Holmes said in her presentation.
“This assumes that the $11-million estimate is reasonable and we would have to go to the next stage of a detailed design to really understand if that is,” she added.
Borrowing the funds is also an option, Holmes said.
A new fire hall has been in the plans for a few decades and would include several new apparatus bays, as well as an exercise and workout area. The long-term plan also includes a transition to more career firefighters and with personnel in the building 24/7.
“We currently have one piece of apparatus that is essentially out in the weather, it has a kind of light cover to it," Holmes said.
Mayor Doug O'Brien said he favours the renovation option, but was skeptical about the figure of $11 million.
“It’s a big renovation and I don’t think $11 million comes close, recognizing the fact that this is our fire station," O'Brien said. “As the chief has mentioned, we’re looking at a 20-year plan, a 20-year build-out. The movement to a more full-time personnel.”
He added that the current fire hall was "outdated and too small" the day it was completed and that the city needs to be sure it is not "under-renovating" the next facility.
"We need more than this. This renovation should cost way more than this, to do it properly," O'Brien said. “I think we should go to a borrowing referendum at the next election in two years."
O'Brien added that such a referendum could be done with the next civic election in two years, and suggested a Class B estimate should be done to provide a more detailed plan for the project.
Council passed a motion that will have staff investigate the costs to obtain a Class B estimate and report back to council only if the cost will exceed the budget.
