Two New Fire Halls Too Rich for Cumberland

The soaring price tag to build two new fire halls has been shelved as Cumberland Council goes back to the drawing board.

The Municipality called for proposals to build new facilities in Springhill and Parrsboro, but new federal regulations for fire departments and runaway building costs have forced a dramatic change.

Instead or two, council agreed to call new tenders for Springhill while adding a new hall in Parrsboro to the budget discussion on capital projects.

The county budgeted over six million for the two replacements. However, Iron Maple Inc. — builders of the Pugwash Library — offered the only tender at $5.7 million for Springhill plus $5 million for Parrsboro.

Because the call for proposals included both departments, council had to accept both or none.

Council wrestled with the question, at length, behind closed doors in committee, before debating it again this afternoon at a regular council meeting.

They considered several options for financing the project and for funding sources from reserve, special annual grants from the federal and provincial governments. In the end, the numbers simply did not crunch and it was agreed the dual project was beyond their grasp and too great a borrowing burden over twenty years.

Council voted to cancel the dual proposal and call for tenders to build a new facility in Springhill which has been deemed at the end of its useful cycle. Meanwhile, most agree the Parrsboro fire hall still has some useful life in it, though it will be the priority among the county’s fifteen other departments.

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