Essex Town Council isn't rejecting a recommendation to relocate Fire Hall No. 3 in Harrow, but it's pushing pause on making a decision.
A report to councillors on Monday night suggested relocating the fire station to the Harrow Soccer Complex. The town already owns the land on Roseborough Road, and savings could be significant.
Essex Councillor Sherry Bondy attends the regular meeting of council on August 22, 2016. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
"I want to approve a location based on it being the absolute best location, not just the cheapest location," said Councillor Sherry Bondy.
Councillors voted 6-1, with Councillor Morley Bowman being the lone dissenter, to ask town staff to report what other locations were considered and give them time to consult with the public.
Bondy also wonders if a fire hall is the best match for a soccer complex "where children play."
"In the future, the soccer complex could be an event centre. Do we really want to mix recreation with fire protection?" she asked.
"We rely on administration's recommendations, but council is responsible for overseeing that," explained Bondy. "We just got the report on Thursday, so we didn't have enough time to do any public consultation or homework ourselves."
Bondy believes it will be a few more months before town staff can compile a new report, putting the decision in the hands of the next council.
"The new term of council should be dealing with this," she said. "It's a $3-million decision. There are only 97 days left until the [municipal] election."
A report in 2018 suggested the existing hall on Centre Street East was too small. There's little room on the property to expand further, and renovations would cost up to $2.3-million.
