While many recent Let’s Talks have been focused on single issues (health care, forest fires), the most recent Let’s Talk featured a wide-ranging conversation on a variety of topics, from BC Housing to a potential new fire hall to the after hour closures of the emergency room.
(Note that this reporter was unable to attend the whole event, missing the first few minutes after arriving home late from Dawson and then having to leave to attend another meeting after an hour, so this is not a complete summary of the event.)
According to Mayor Daryl Krakowka, a representative from BC Housing promised to come up to Tumbler Ridge at the most recent UBCM. She was in town in September and did a tour of the Chamberlain property, where BC Housing tore down the town’s low income housing earlier this year. “She was able to at least go down there and see the property and have a conversation with myself and the CAO of what we’re looking for when we talk about housing assessment. What can we do down there when we talk about affordable housing units for people? Families, single families, single parent families, that kind of thing. Maybe they don’t all need to be a townhouse size.”
He says the conversation is ongoing.
The BC Housing representative also went and checked out Hartford Court, which is also run by BC Housing. Krakowka says the plan is for them to come back and do a fuller tour, but, he says, he has talked to some of the residents and they are starting to see some movement there in terms of maintenance. “There was concerns from the seniors living there in regards to future plans for the site. Are they going to do the same thing as they did in Chamberlain, where they didn’t do any maintenance and finally got torn down? Are we going to have to kick our seniors to Dawson Creek or Prince George and say, thank you very much. That’s what we heard from the seniors that were staying there.”
He also reminded everyone present that the District does try and make sure they do a good job with snow clearing for seniors and people with disabilities. “Please phone town hall to get on the list. Make sure we know who you are so that we can make sure we do the best we can when it comes to the windrows when ploughing the streets.”
He points to local resident Tim Croston, who is currently recovering from knee surgery. “You don’t have to be a senior. You just have to have mobile mobility issues. That what it’s for. We want to make sure people can get out of their house and around the community.”
But one of the biggest issues facing the town right now is the fire hall. The issue of a new fire hall has been in front of council since 2007, but it’s only been in the last couple years that council has seriously moved forward looking at options.
The first proposal came in at $24.2 million for a 18,634 sq ft building. That proposal was rejected by staff before it went to council, and was sent out to see if they could get a better quote, which came back at $11.7 million for 17,800 sq feet.
A third quote has now been received, and that one is at just under $14 million. “I cannot support a $14 million fire hall, he says. “And I don’t believe it comes in $14 million when it’s done. We’re probably closer to the $18, $19 million. I think that’s a fairly expensive fire hall for our community.”
So staff took a red pen to the proposal and was able to get it down to about $9.7 million for 14,550 sq feet.
He says that’s much better, but points to Beaverlodge, where they just built a new fire hall for three million, with three drive through bays.
And, he says, in a community that has had to be evacuated twice in the last two decades, building a wood fire hall doesn’t seem to be the wisest move. Again, the Beaverlodge fire hall was built with metal siding. “As we build new infrastructure, I think we got to start looking at some of the disasters that happen within the province. Do we have to worry about flooding? Yes, I know that Flatbed Campground flooded, but the community? But when we talk about wildfires coming into the community, that is definitely a possibility. So moving forward, that’s what I’m looking at. But I’m not I’m not looking for a $10 million fire hall, either. I don’t think that is fair to our taxpayers.”
He says that council has directed staff to apply for grants to fund the fire hall, and the hope is that would reduce the cost to the taxpayers, but he reminds people that council still hasn’t approved any fire hall design.
And indeed, he’s not even sure it would just be a fire hall. With BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) adding a second car in Tumbler Ridge and—more importantly—adding in full-time ambulance attendants, there is a need for a new space for Ambulance as well. Their current space is not big enough for their needs, and they are also looking at expanding. Krakowka says having room in the new building for the ambulance would increase the initial build cost, but then BCEHS would lease the space off the district.
The mayor says he has also made a motion that, if a fire hall is to be built, the money to fund it has to be borrowed. “I did it that way so it actually has to be borrowed, so we have to have it approved by the residents. I want to make sure residents are for it.I think it is really important that if we’re going to start building infrastructure like this, that we borrow the money so residents have a say. I want them to decide that they want it. And if you don’t agree with it, then you don’t have to vote for it. I think it’s important for residents to wade in on this.”
He says the District reached out to the RCMP as well because there was some conversations that maybe they would be looking for a new building as well. “It has been talked about for years. And locally, they’re really interested, but when it came to talking federally, there was not a whole bunch of support.”
Still, he says, it’s not totally off the table.
But why would the District need a new fire hall? He says he asked the fire chief, and he provided a list of reasons, ranging from needing adequate parking for responding personnel to having showers on-site so that fire fighters—who may have to deal with attending events where they are exposed to toxic or noxious chemicals—can clean up before they head home.
He says the current fire hall has had a leaky roof, no air separation between the bay floor, where the fire trucks are kept, and the rest of the building, so the place often smells like exhaust fumes. There’s not enough workspace for the amount of staff now working out of the firehall. “The bylaw officer is working out of a closet.”
Ultimately, he says, the current fire hall was built in 1982 with the needs of 1982 in mind. Service levels have increased in the last 43 years, while the building has deteriorated. The fire department has grown so that now they have to keep at least one of the fire trucks off-site.
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
