Price tag in excess of $27 million for new fire hall/public works/EMS building shocks Huron East Council

BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN

With repairs to an aging Seaforth fire hall mounting, Huron East Council found itself between a rock and a hard place at its Sept. 9 meeting when faced with an estimated cost for a new building in excess of $27 million.

 

Newly-promoted Chief Administrative Officer Jessica Rudy presented council with a report at the meeting outlining the possibility of a new building in Seaforth that would house not only a new Seaforth fire hall, but the public works department and an emergency medical services (EMS) station.

 

“In March of 2025, council was presented with a preliminary assessment to combine the south public works and fire station, which resulted in council directing staff to undertake a preliminary design and costing. At the same meeting, council directed staff to provide an assessment of the current Seaforth fire station to determine future needs and the longevity of the building,” Rudy wrote in her report. “It was subsequently determined that the County of Huron emergency services department was interested in partnering with Huron East to incorporate EMS into the building design as a result of their desire to move operations to Seaforth.”

 

A new building, which did not find any level of support among councillors due to the exorbitant price tag, would be unfeasible for the municipality, Rudy and Mayor Bernie MacLellan noted, as there is not nearly enough in the municipality’s reserves to fund it, nor would the municipality be inclined to borrow or debenture that amount of money.

 

In Rudy’s proposal - which she wasn’t necessarily recommending, instead providing the information for consideration - the building would meet all current standards, incorporate all required features and allow for expansion and growth for both the fire and public works departments, including a large shared training room with a full kitchen. She also noted that anything related to an EMS station would be fully funded by the county, so, in the total estimate of at least $27.3 million, $7.3 million of that would be paid for by the county, should council opt to move ahead with the county’s blessing, leaving Huron East to cover the outstanding $20 million or so. It is also worth noting that the estimated $27.3 million price tag does not include any land costs.

 

The public works portion of the building, according to Rudy, would consolidate three public works shops into one; provide office space for the Water Department, Operations Manager and Manager of Parks and Recreation; include six double, drive-through bays to store all equipment and provide off-season space for Parks and Recreation vehicles, as well as a wash bay, a mezzanine and storage for small repairs and outdoor storage for both sand and salt.

 

The fire hall portion of the building would include three double, drive-through bays; a separate room for SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) equipment, a filling station and decontamination area accessible from the bay, avoiding any potential contamination; a unisex washroom with separated showers and change rooms with access through the bay only; a gear room accessible from the exterior and bay; a laundry facility, including storage areas, and an open mezzanine.

 

The EMS area would include four triple, drive-through bays; separated oxygen and supply storage; office space for EMS and office staff; a training room and simulation lab, and a laundry facility.

 

“At this point in time, there is not enough in the public works or fire reserves to fund the project, the municipality would be looking at a debenture close to $20 million. The project could be revisited in approximately five years in order to establish reserves for each department and minimize large debenture amounts,” Rudy said in her report.

 

“Council may wish to re-evaluate the project with a focus on fire and EMS and removing the public works portion of the facility. This approach will delay any decisions, as a revised concept and estimate would be required. It is of note that EMS has indicated a potential need to increase the office space to accommodate all of their administration personnel. This option continues to explore partnership opportunities with the county, however, may delay any decisions regarding Seaforth fire station renovations.”

 

Regarding the existing hall, the municipality brought B.M. Ross aboard to undertake a facility review and needs assessment. This determined that the building is in “poor” condition and requires $179,500 in basic required upgrades and a further $240,000 in optional upgrades for things like exhaust gas detection, ventilation upgrades for gas removal, installation of a back-up generator for the building to allow it to run during power failures or other emergencies, and minor upgrades to ceiling, tiles and all paneling. Even then, Rudy noted, the building would still be deficient in regards to “common features seen in newer fire halls”.
To conclude her report, Rudy said that if council didn’t want to move forward with the construction of a new facility, $500,000 would have to be included in next year’s budget for the aforementioned repairs and that the $75,000 included in this year’s budget for washroom repairs would be insufficient for a complete washroom renovation.

 

Rudy suggested that if council wanted to wait, the municipality could begin saving money in reserves in an effort to build its way up to the amount of money needed for an entirely new facility, however, MacLellan didn’t think that was wise. Study after study, he said, has shown that saved money depreciates due to never-ending inflation and that the money saved today is destined to be worth less tomorrow.

 

MacLellan did, however, say that he thought the preliminary design looked good and that he’s seen it work well in other municipalities, such as Central Huron, even though he certainly had his doubts. However, Huron East just doesn’t have the money for such a project, he said, and trying to borrow that amount of money would not be smart.

 

Councillor Gloria Wilbee said it might be nice to tour the facility and understand what’s really going on at it, without having to rely on the words of others. MacLellan said he thought that was a smart idea, adding that council needed to hear from both the fire and public works departments on what they need from a new building and start there.

 

Council then took it a step further, asking both the fire and public works departments to prepare presentations on the state of the buildings and their needs, in addition to the tours being recommended by Wilbee, and to hold a special council meeting to assess the needs of the buildings and the departments and to chart a path forward that the municipality can afford.
Furthermore, council authorized the use of the already-budgeted $75,000 for repairs at the fire hall and directed staff to prepare a report for the next meeting on how much money is needed and from where it may be sourced to complete the urgent renovations.