Fire Hall / Emergency Services Facility

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In the Local General Election 2022, Powell River voters said yes to the assent voting question:

“Are you in favour of the City of Powell River adopting Fire Hall / Emergency Services Facility Loan Authorization Bylaw 2695, 2022, to authorize the borrowing of a sum not to exceed seven and one half million dollars ($7,500,000), over a maximum term of 20 years, in order to finance the construction of a new fire hall / emergency services facility at the City’s Public Works Yard property located at 7160 Duncan Street?”

The design process is underway but not complete. When the design and the loan authorization bylaw are approved, the city will be able to apply for any available grants to help offset the cost of the project. Once this information is known, a recommendation of the total project cost and funding streams will be presented to Council for consideration.



Background

For many years the City of Powell River has been considering the need to replace its firehall located at 6965 Courtenay Street. In October 2019, Mayor and Council established a select advisory committee to study the potential for replacing the facility, gather feedback from the public, and provide recommendations on a path forward.

The select committee provided a summary on public engagement and its final recommendations to Council for a new emergency services facility at the regularly scheduled meeting of January 20, 2022 and the following resolution (22-4) was approved:

That Council accepts the Fire Hall/Emergency Services Facility Select Advisory Committee's following endorsement:

  • The need for a new emergency services facility.
  • The location to be at the Public Works Yard.
  • Council create a referendum question to be included at the Municipal Elections in October 2022.
  • Council issue a Request for Proposals for a project manager for the purposes of coordinating a design build fire hall/emergency services facility up to $7.5 million with the project to begin construction within the next two years.
  • Council continuing to investigate all funding opportunities, including reserve funds and grants.

At its regularly scheduled meeting held on the March 3, 2022, Council directed staff to prepare a draft bylaw authorizing the borrowing of up to $7.5 Million to build a new fire hall/emergency services facility at 7160 Duncan Street, and proceed with obtaining approval of the electors through assent voting as part of the October 15, 2022 general local election.

At its regularly scheduled meeting on June 2, 2022 Council was provided with the draft Fire Hall/Emergency Services Facility Loan Authorization Bylaw 2695, 2022. Council approved the following resolutions in relation to the Bylaw:

(Res 22-140)

Moved and seconded that "Fire Hall / Emergency Services Facility Loan Authorization Bylaw 2695, 2022" be read a first, second and third time, and referred to the Inspector of Municipalities for approval.

(Res 22-141)

Moved and seconded that assent of the electors be sought for "Fire Hall / Emergency Services Facility Loan Authorization Bylaw 2695, 2022" at the October 15, 2022 general local election and that the question be as follows:

“Are you in favour of the City of Powell River adopting “Fire Hall / Emergency Services Facility Loan Authorization Bylaw 2695, 2022”, to authorize the borrowing of a sum not to exceed seven and one half million dollars ($7,500,000), over a maximum term of 20 years, in order to finance the construction of a new fire hall / emergency services facility at the City’s Public Works Yard property located at 7160 Duncan Street?”


Fire Hall/Emergency Services Facility Select Advisory Committee

After a feasibility and high level costing study was completed in 2018, Mayor and Council decided to move the issue of replacing the current Fire Hall forward and in October 2019 established the Fire Hall/Emergency Services Facility Select Advisory Committee and gave it the following mandate:

  • Review the technical decision-making process and assessments completed to date which have established both the need for a new facility and site location.
  • Provide advice to Council on concept designs for a new emergency services facility.
  • Make recommendations on funding strategies and approval process for the project.
  • Identify potential future community benefits.
  • Coordinate opportunities to provide the public with information and gather feedback.

The select committee started its work in 2020 by generating a list of questions it thought should be asked about the project, addressing key areas such as:

  • Need/Why?
  • Design/Use
  • Condition of Existing Building
  • Siting/Location
  • Funding/Cost
  • Insurance


Existing Building

Through its review process the select committee determined that the city needs a new fire hall/emergency services facility that can accommodate the needs of the Fire Rescue Department, which has occupied a temporary facility for 25 years. The Committee also found that:

  • The current site cannot accommodate needed expansion or be upgraded to post-disaster standards. The existing facility was built as an ancillary hall in 1959.
  • In 1996 the fire commissioner's office recommended decommissioning the Westview Fire Hall and the Cranberry Training Centre and building a new centrally located building.
  • A full feasibility study of the existing building was done by Johnston Davidson Architects. The study found that the current facility does not meet the needs of standard fire rescue services and is not seismically upgradable to withstand a severe earthquake.


Siting/Location

• In total, the Committee looked at seven sites:

  • 6965 Courtenay Street (Current location)
  • 5001 Joyce Avenue (Recreation Complex)
  • 7050 Alberni Street (Former Inn at Westview Property)
  • 7070 Barnet Street (East of RCMP Detachment)
  • 4726 Manson Avenue (North of Larry Gouthro Park)
  • 7160 Duncan Street (Public Works Yard)
  • 7516 Duncan Street (Airport)

After an Environmental Site Assessment, Geotechnical Study and a review by Fire Underwriters, the location at 7160 Duncan Street was recommended by the Select Advisory Committee.

Council endorsed the new location at its meeting of March 4, 2021.



Cost

In 2018 Johnston Davidson Architecture Inc was commissioned to complete a needs assessment / feasibility study for a new facility, complete with high level costings, to replace the current aging facility. The needs assessment identified a total square footage of 18,400 square feet at an estimated cost of just over $9 million. As this was a high-level estimate for planning purposes, contingencies were higher than a further developed design.

To present a question on borrowing to the electors, the committee believed that construction costs must be estimated. In support of the design-build concept the Committee has recommended an amount of $7.5 million be designated as a budget figure. The $7.5 million was based in part upon the following considerations by the Committee:

  • Review of the Johnston Davidson high level costing estimate from their 2018 report
  • Discussions about tolerances for taxation with community members
  • Personal experience
  • Desire to balance needs of the fire department with public interest


Funding/Borrowing

The scenarios presented below outline the impacts of total amount borrowed and term of loan which are the two factors for which the City has control. The two scenarios identified are broken up into a 30-year amortization period and 20-year amortization period. All loans are assumed to be taken through the Municipal Finance Authority at a rate of 2.5%.


The Select Committee noted that the City could reduce the amount of being borrowed by reallocating existing funds or seeking out grant opportunities or a combination thereof. Possible sources of funding include:

  • City's Land and Buildings Reserve
  • Unappropriated Surplus – General
  • Community Forest Reserve
  • Green Municipal Fund (GMF) through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM)
  • Canada Community Building Fund (Union of BC Municipalities)


Public Engagement Process

As per its mandate, the Firehall/Emergency Services Facility Select Advisory Committee launched a Public Engagement process in late spring 2021 to provide information on the work that the committee had done and to gather feedback on the proposal to construct a new facility.

The process began with a survey of residents to determine public sentiment and what information was lacking. The results of the first survey can be found here.

In the fall of 2021, the select committee held four town hall meetings across the community. Here are links to the information that the committee shared with the community:

The question and comment portion of the public engagement sessions were recorded and transcribed. The transcriptions will be included in the report to Council on public feedback and will also be posted here and the document library:

A final questionnaire was conducted with residents at the end of the engagement process to understand the sentiment toward the construction of a new emergency services facility. The results can be viewed here.

The committee completed its public engagement process in early December 2021 and a report summarizing its activities and the feedback received was presented to Council at a meeting on January 20, 2022. The public engagement summary can be viewed here.

Final Recommendations

Further to it's report on public engagement, the select committee provided Mayor and Council with its final recommendations at the regularly scheduled meeting of January 20, 2022 and the following resolution (22-4) was approved:

That Council accepts the Fire Hall/Emergency Services Facility Select Advisory Committee's following endorsement:

  • The need for a new Emergency Services Facility.
  • The location to be at the City Public Works Yard.
  • Council create a referendum question to be included at the Municipal Elections in October 2022.
  • Council issue a Request for Proposals for a project manager for the purposes of coordinating a design build fire hall/emergency services facility up to $7.5 million with the project to begin construction within the next two years.
  • Council continuing to investigate all funding opportunities, including reserve funds and grants.



In the Local General Election 2022, Powell River voters said yes to the assent voting question:

“Are you in favour of the City of Powell River adopting Fire Hall / Emergency Services Facility Loan Authorization Bylaw 2695, 2022, to authorize the borrowing of a sum not to exceed seven and one half million dollars ($7,500,000), over a maximum term of 20 years, in order to finance the construction of a new fire hall / emergency services facility at the City’s Public Works Yard property located at 7160 Duncan Street?”

The design process is underway but not complete. When the design and the loan authorization bylaw are approved, the city will be able to apply for any available grants to help offset the cost of the project. Once this information is known, a recommendation of the total project cost and funding streams will be presented to Council for consideration.



Background

For many years the City of Powell River has been considering the need to replace its firehall located at 6965 Courtenay Street. In October 2019, Mayor and Council established a select advisory committee to study the potential for replacing the facility, gather feedback from the public, and provide recommendations on a path forward.

The select committee provided a summary on public engagement and its final recommendations to Council for a new emergency services facility at the regularly scheduled meeting of January 20, 2022 and the following resolution (22-4) was approved:

That Council accepts the Fire Hall/Emergency Services Facility Select Advisory Committee's following endorsement:

  • The need for a new emergency services facility.
  • The location to be at the Public Works Yard.
  • Council create a referendum question to be included at the Municipal Elections in October 2022.
  • Council issue a Request for Proposals for a project manager for the purposes of coordinating a design build fire hall/emergency services facility up to $7.5 million with the project to begin construction within the next two years.
  • Council continuing to investigate all funding opportunities, including reserve funds and grants.

At its regularly scheduled meeting held on the March 3, 2022, Council directed staff to prepare a draft bylaw authorizing the borrowing of up to $7.5 Million to build a new fire hall/emergency services facility at 7160 Duncan Street, and proceed with obtaining approval of the electors through assent voting as part of the October 15, 2022 general local election.

At its regularly scheduled meeting on June 2, 2022 Council was provided with the draft Fire Hall/Emergency Services Facility Loan Authorization Bylaw 2695, 2022. Council approved the following resolutions in relation to the Bylaw:

(Res 22-140)

Moved and seconded that "Fire Hall / Emergency Services Facility Loan Authorization Bylaw 2695, 2022" be read a first, second and third time, and referred to the Inspector of Municipalities for approval.

(Res 22-141)

Moved and seconded that assent of the electors be sought for "Fire Hall / Emergency Services Facility Loan Authorization Bylaw 2695, 2022" at the October 15, 2022 general local election and that the question be as follows:

“Are you in favour of the City of Powell River adopting “Fire Hall / Emergency Services Facility Loan Authorization Bylaw 2695, 2022”, to authorize the borrowing of a sum not to exceed seven and one half million dollars ($7,500,000), over a maximum term of 20 years, in order to finance the construction of a new fire hall / emergency services facility at the City’s Public Works Yard property located at 7160 Duncan Street?”


Fire Hall/Emergency Services Facility Select Advisory Committee

After a feasibility and high level costing study was completed in 2018, Mayor and Council decided to move the issue of replacing the current Fire Hall forward and in October 2019 established the Fire Hall/Emergency Services Facility Select Advisory Committee and gave it the following mandate:

  • Review the technical decision-making process and assessments completed to date which have established both the need for a new facility and site location.
  • Provide advice to Council on concept designs for a new emergency services facility.
  • Make recommendations on funding strategies and approval process for the project.
  • Identify potential future community benefits.
  • Coordinate opportunities to provide the public with information and gather feedback.

The select committee started its work in 2020 by generating a list of questions it thought should be asked about the project, addressing key areas such as:

  • Need/Why?
  • Design/Use
  • Condition of Existing Building
  • Siting/Location
  • Funding/Cost
  • Insurance


Existing Building

Through its review process the select committee determined that the city needs a new fire hall/emergency services facility that can accommodate the needs of the Fire Rescue Department, which has occupied a temporary facility for 25 years. The Committee also found that:

  • The current site cannot accommodate needed expansion or be upgraded to post-disaster standards. The existing facility was built as an ancillary hall in 1959.
  • In 1996 the fire commissioner's office recommended decommissioning the Westview Fire Hall and the Cranberry Training Centre and building a new centrally located building.
  • A full feasibility study of the existing building was done by Johnston Davidson Architects. The study found that the current facility does not meet the needs of standard fire rescue services and is not seismically upgradable to withstand a severe earthquake.


Siting/Location

• In total, the Committee looked at seven sites:

  • 6965 Courtenay Street (Current location)
  • 5001 Joyce Avenue (Recreation Complex)
  • 7050 Alberni Street (Former Inn at Westview Property)
  • 7070 Barnet Street (East of RCMP Detachment)
  • 4726 Manson Avenue (North of Larry Gouthro Park)
  • 7160 Duncan Street (Public Works Yard)
  • 7516 Duncan Street (Airport)

After an Environmental Site Assessment, Geotechnical Study and a review by Fire Underwriters, the location at 7160 Duncan Street was recommended by the Select Advisory Committee.

Council endorsed the new location at its meeting of March 4, 2021.



Cost

In 2018 Johnston Davidson Architecture Inc was commissioned to complete a needs assessment / feasibility study for a new facility, complete with high level costings, to replace the current aging facility. The needs assessment identified a total square footage of 18,400 square feet at an estimated cost of just over $9 million. As this was a high-level estimate for planning purposes, contingencies were higher than a further developed design.

To present a question on borrowing to the electors, the committee believed that construction costs must be estimated. In support of the design-build concept the Committee has recommended an amount of $7.5 million be designated as a budget figure. The $7.5 million was based in part upon the following considerations by the Committee:

  • Review of the Johnston Davidson high level costing estimate from their 2018 report
  • Discussions about tolerances for taxation with community members
  • Personal experience
  • Desire to balance needs of the fire department with public interest


Funding/Borrowing

The scenarios presented below outline the impacts of total amount borrowed and term of loan which are the two factors for which the City has control. The two scenarios identified are broken up into a 30-year amortization period and 20-year amortization period. All loans are assumed to be taken through the Municipal Finance Authority at a rate of 2.5%.


The Select Committee noted that the City could reduce the amount of being borrowed by reallocating existing funds or seeking out grant opportunities or a combination thereof. Possible sources of funding include:

  • City's Land and Buildings Reserve
  • Unappropriated Surplus – General
  • Community Forest Reserve
  • Green Municipal Fund (GMF) through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM)
  • Canada Community Building Fund (Union of BC Municipalities)


Public Engagement Process

As per its mandate, the Firehall/Emergency Services Facility Select Advisory Committee launched a Public Engagement process in late spring 2021 to provide information on the work that the committee had done and to gather feedback on the proposal to construct a new facility.

The process began with a survey of residents to determine public sentiment and what information was lacking. The results of the first survey can be found here.

In the fall of 2021, the select committee held four town hall meetings across the community. Here are links to the information that the committee shared with the community:

The question and comment portion of the public engagement sessions were recorded and transcribed. The transcriptions will be included in the report to Council on public feedback and will also be posted here and the document library:

A final questionnaire was conducted with residents at the end of the engagement process to understand the sentiment toward the construction of a new emergency services facility. The results can be viewed here.

The committee completed its public engagement process in early December 2021 and a report summarizing its activities and the feedback received was presented to Council at a meeting on January 20, 2022. The public engagement summary can be viewed here.

Final Recommendations

Further to it's report on public engagement, the select committee provided Mayor and Council with its final recommendations at the regularly scheduled meeting of January 20, 2022 and the following resolution (22-4) was approved:

That Council accepts the Fire Hall/Emergency Services Facility Select Advisory Committee's following endorsement:

  • The need for a new Emergency Services Facility.
  • The location to be at the City Public Works Yard.
  • Council create a referendum question to be included at the Municipal Elections in October 2022.
  • Council issue a Request for Proposals for a project manager for the purposes of coordinating a design build fire hall/emergency services facility up to $7.5 million with the project to begin construction within the next two years.
  • Council continuing to investigate all funding opportunities, including reserve funds and grants.
Page last updated: 14 Jun 2023, 10:20 AM