By Barb Brouwer
Contributor
What to build and who should have a say was debated for well over an hour at the regional district’s Committee of the Whole meeting on Jan. 17.
Columbia Shuswap Regional District general manager of community and protective services Derek Sutherland asked for board direction on the issue of rebuilding the Scotch Creek/Lee Creek fire hall and community centre that was destroyed in the devastating Bush Creek East Fire last summer.
In his report to the committee, Sutherland pointed out that staff are looking at rebuilding options and are considering splitting the community services building and the fire hall to provide better service for each function.
Major considerations include the need to buy additional property if the services are split, and the absence of a service area for a community centre as it has been operated as part of the fire service in the past.
“The fire service area has sufficient capital reserves that it could buy property for a new fire hall, if required,” wrote Sutherland, pointing out there may be future tax increases to fund capital infrastructure repairs and or replacements in the immediate to longer term. “Splitting the projects would delay the rebuilding of a community centre or may result in the lack of a community centre if that was the desire of the electorate.”
Alternatively, the facility could be rebuilt as it was with a joint fire hall and community meeting space, but in a better configuration.
“In either case, staff will go through a community engagement process to get the right fit for the community,” noted Sutherland. “Staff are asking the board to contemplate the options and provide direction to move the project forward as there could be additional budget considerations that are not within the current Draft 1 budget.”
First to offer an opinion was Electoral Area E Rural Sicamous director Rhona Martin, who said that because this is a community need, community input should be sought before any decisions are made.
“We’re dealing with a community that had significant loss and a huge financial cost,” she said. “I don’t want to make a decision, it’s up to them”
Area F North Shuswap director Jay Simpson supported the need for community consultation and asked if a fire hall on the current one-acre site in Scotch Creek could accommodate the needs of the community for 20 or more years. As well, while he agreed the fire hall should be rebuilt sooner than later, he emphasized the need for a meeting room, or ideally a community centre, that could accommodate a day care, food bank and other services.
Several directors provided input and made motions on what they thought should happen and when Area F residents should be given the opportunity to voice their opinions.
“We’re dancing right now, we’re not getting any clarity,” said chief administrative officer John MacLean, noting that it was evident directors agree rebuilding the fire hall is the number-one priority. MacLean requested the board to direct staff to rebuild on the same site and be done with it.
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“I’m concerned that forestalling or exploring this option or that option in rebuilding the fire hall will delay us further, cost us more money and we’re going to end up spinning around.”
Sutherland reminded directors that the CSRD’s Business Continuity Insurance that is covering the rental of a facility until a new fire hall can be built is only available for a period of 18 months, after which the board would have to pay. He assured Simpson a suitable training room would be included, whether the community chooses to have the fire hall rebuilt as is, or to accommodate fire services only, with the creation of a new service in order to purchase land and build a separate community centre.
After one hour and 15 minutes of debate, CSRD staff was directed to put together an engagement strategy in order to give Area F residents the opportunity to express their views before making a decision on how to move forward.
If residents support a rebuild of the fire hall with a community space to be operated under the fire service, the move would be straightforward. If the preference is for a separate community facility, it would have to go to referendum because creating a new service to accommodate that would mean added taxation.
“It wouldn’t be much but it would be more,” said Sutherland. “Either way, we’ll build them something great.”
