Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice
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| The proposed site of a new Beaver Mines Fire Hall (west of highway 774) Google map |
Fire Chief Cox was first to address the room, saying it had been approximately 10 years since the present fire hall was established, by pulling a garage onto the site where it still sits, in the Hamlet of Beaver Mines. He said it was intended to be "something to house a fire engine," and said at the present time the fill supporting the structure is now spilling over property lines and the drop-off behind the station. "There's not much room for expansion," he said. Cox went on to say the MD sent out a request for proposals to area landowners in an attempt to find a suitable site. As a result of that request, 10 proposals came back, and 5 were selected for consideration, according to Cox.
At that point in the proceedings MD Reeve Rod Zielinski took the floor. He said there was "a very wide range in pricing" and that the best site of the 5 was selected to present to the public for input. He said the criteria used by the MD Council included access and room for future expansion if needed, adding that having a 30 to 50 year plan seemed like a good idea.
Zielinski said the 2011 MD budget only had enough money to pay for a land purchase, and the 2012 budget was not completed yet.
"Beaver Mines is obviously the gateway to the forestry out there," said Zielinski, adding that the area was seeing increased use and should expect that trend to continue in the future. He concluded by saying "Beaver Mines is also the pick-up point for STARS (Air Ambulance)."
Deputy Reeve Terry Yagos was next to address the room. He said he had visited the fire hall when he was running for MD council in 2010. He said he was disturbed by the lack of washroom facilities. "There should be a place where the volunteers can shower after a fire," he said, citing the toxic materials they often encounter in the line of duty.
Director of Operations Leo Reedyk provided some history behind the proposed project. He said the MD Council tried in 2010 to put money in the budget to modify the existing fire hall structure. "It was a lot of money," he said, indicating that the council of that time decided to look into a new fire hall instead.
The site under discussion is a piece of land just west and south of the intersection where highways #507 and #774 meet. It approximately 4.4 acres in size, larger than the 2 acres originally proposed. A map was show demonstrating the parcel of land under consideration (not the same map as accompanies this article, which is for general reference only).
The citizens present were then invited to address the gathered officials with their questions.
In response to one citizen's inquiry, Fire Chief Cox said the cost of putting in washrooms equated to "another band-aid solution in a poor location." He said that at that point a request went out to ratepayers in the area for acceptable land, and that price was not the only criteria. He said major determining factors included proximity to the highway, safety, and visibility. He said the location eventually settled on as the first choice had good access, and was outside the hamlet but adjacent to it. "As we went through this process there was a lot of thought that went into long-term plans," he said.
A citizen asked why the fire hall needed to be near Beaver Mines. Cox replied that is was "not a Beaver Mines fire hall, it's an MD of Pincher Creek fire hall. It helps address the area relatively quickly." Water and sewer issues were raised, and Cox said a grey-storage system would probably be necessary. When asked why not drill a well he said "We could invest several thousands of dollars doing that. We can build a purification system and haul it for less."
One citizen made his opposition to the proposed site plain during the proceedings. Several others indicated they were concerned about possible future development on the larger site.
One citizen asked "Why is this 4.4 acres when you were looking at 2 acres?" Reeve Zielinski said "When we were looking at sites, the Coalfield School was looked at first. There was no way we could fit a fire hall with proper access on that site." When again asked about that location, he said "When we went for proposals, no one made a proposal (for that site)." When asked again later in the discussion about the Coalfield School site, he reiterated "It's not for sale."
When asked if Council had contacted the Beaver Mines Association, Zielinski said letters had gone out to everyone. The same citizen asked why the Shell site was not on the table. "The owner of that land did not offer it to us," said Zielinski.
"We had the experts look at the sites, and used their criteria to come to a decision." said Zielinski in response to another inquiry. When asked if the Council had contacted any building-moving companies to find out if the old fire hall could be moved, Zielinski said the Community Association said it didn't want the building moved.
Another citizen suggested "You should probably put in probably half a dozen high pressure sodium lights as you come down that hill into Beaver Mines."
Fire Chief Cox clarified the need for the fire hall. "This station is a key part of our response. We anticipate there will be increased demands on the site. We have to realize where the volunteers are coming from. Most of our responders are adjacent to Beaver Mines. Beaver Mines makes sense. It is the central part of that location."
Beaver Mines Fire Captain Alan Tapay addressed the room from the back row, where he sat with some of his crew. "I'd like to bring up to Beaver Mines how lucky you are to have us. Six of eight of us are trained Emergency Responders." Tongue not quite in cheek he added "We're kind of the shining stars of the Pincher Creek Emergency Services." He said the general response time for his crew was 6 or 7 minutes to get to the hall. "There's a defibrillator in the fire truck. If you move us out further, every minute you lose, you lose 10% of your chance of surviving a heart attack," he cautioned.
The next citizen to speak cautioned Council on the process. "The issue is the way things have been decided, without any input from the community," he said. Zielinski responded. "We as MD Council have a mandate for a safe and viable community. We don't have a choice. We went through a process to decide this. We had to have something to bring to the community."
Another citizen said "We were at a meeting. Everyone was invited, there was an ad in the paper, we were involved."
Zielinski said "It has been on the books for a while. You really get nowhere without something concrete." When asked why Council had spent money on the process to find a site, he said "It's called due diligence."
One of Beaver Mines long-time volunteer fire-fighters stood to speak at that point, obviously upset at some of the rancor evident in the discussion. "Are we so offensive that we need to be moved out and hidden somewhere?" she asked. I'm 14 years in and someone doesn't want me in their back yard?"
Several citizens indicated they were okay with the location but concerned with the size of the proposed site, and possible future uses it could be put to.
Leo Reedyk said the location was chosen partially because of good access to the highway, with the possibility of a 4-way stop. He said a helipad was possible at the proposed site. At present STARS has to land on the highway. He also said there was a good possibility of water storage on the site, up the incline to the west. "It was felt that site had a lot of potential for the community."
In response to an inquiry about where the other proposed sites were, Chief Cox indicated he had to be careful with his reply. "Generally, a combination of lots in the community, which would require dealing with the Department of Highways to decided access. Prices were a wide range. When spending MD money, we must spend wisely."
The citizen who had earlier emphasized a need for transparency in the process reiterated that warning, then said "I would defer to those in the know about it. I thank the community and fire department for having a fire hall in Beaver Mines."
The citizen opposed to the location continued to hammer at the issue. The proposed site has a road allowance that runs right behind his house, which is located right on the property line, and he was very concerned that his property values and quality of life would be diminished. "It's probably going to be many, many years before that road allowance is used," said Zielinski.
Another citizen said "Right now it's in somebody's back yard. It's always going to be in somebody's back yard." He also cautioned that transparency in terms of future plans for the site was necessary.
At one point in the discussion about public transparency, MD Councillor Helen Cyr broke her silence to say "This is the public meeting." "We should be able to look at all the proposals," reiterated an agitated citizen. Cyr said privacy laws forbade that. CAO Wendy Kay said "It's a proposal. This is why we have this meeting, to get feedback." When asked about the cost of a new building Zielinski said "Until we buy the property we can't know the cost. Once a preferred design is out there it will be taken to the public for consultation."
Beaver Mines Fire Chief Tapay said "We're just looking for an adequate building that will house us and enable us to do the job we want to do for our friends and neighbours."
Note: The names of private citizens were omitted from this article. If you are a resident of the area and would like to go on record, we'd be more than happy to hear from you.
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