Plans for Prescott’s new fire hall were unveiled last night at Committee of the Whole.
The new one floor hall will feature six bays doors compared to three the current fire hall has. Fire Chief Barry Moorehouse said that feature this was crucial in the design with hopes that the town will continue to grow, thus expanding service.
Moorehouse says the fire hall was designed to “check all the boxes”; it was created with functionality rather than innovation in mind.
It will also feature a community hall that is slightly smaller than the current one at the fire hall.
Counsellor Lee McConnell voiced concerns that the proposed appearance of the building was not in line with the historical aesthetics of the town, and requested that options be brought back to the committee with ways of improving the outside appearance.
The price tag to build the new hall stands at roughly $4.5 million and does not include the cost of purchasing the extra land for development in the neighbouring lots, tagged at an additional $390,000. Additional funds would also be needed to enhance the exterior appearance. Â None of these prices include taxes added in.
The committee wanted to make it clear that no substantial tax increase will be put in place to foot the bill.
The committee also realized that with needed upgrades to the fire hall and arena (to come later this year), the town will need to strongly consider taking on any excess debt before about 2025. Mayor Brett Todd has labelled these two items as “generational projects”. Roadwork can still go ahead without specific consideration.
Council is hoping the new hall will last at least 50 to 75 years.
Plans for the new fire hall can be seen below.
