For several weeks, Salt Spring Islanders have been asking, “What’s the reason for the delay on the new fire hall?”
Honestly, to us, the delay did not seem inordinately long. Have we not all accepted that almost everything takes twice as long as expected these days?
But there is justifiable anxiety about Salt Spring’s most expensive local ratepayer-funded public building getting off track with its timeline and costing more than promised as a result. So that’s why it was helpful to hear the reasons for the delays articulated at the July 15 fire trustees’ meeting. In addition to advancing the business of the fire district, those meetings are for sharing of information between staff and trustees, and the public.
One reason for the delay discussed by trustees and staff was a suggestion that due to recent BC Building Code changes, an elevator could be required by the Capital Regional District Building Inspection department to access the second story portion of the building. That kind of change would not be straightforward, nor inconsequential to the budget.
Fortunately, it appears that common sense has prevailed. If the second storey was to be routinely accessed by members of the public — and the elevator stipulation is all about accessibility — that would be one matter. But since the space is essentially used by the firefighters — with the island’s 24/7 staffing model requiring a sleeping area and kitchen facilities — it seems ludicrous to require an elevator. If a pizza needed to be delivered, for example, surely it could be picked up from the lower floor.
An issue regarding the hose tower not being constructed to post-disaster standards also appears to be on its way to being resolved, with the structure to now be separated from the main building.
Fire district chief administrative office Rodney Dieleman confirmed on Monday, July 22 that work on the foundation can now proceed.
Kudos to all parties for getting past that round of hurdles. Still to be acquired is a highway access permit from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
No project with this level of complexity is going to unfold without encountering some kind of obstacle or any number of unforeseen circumstances. Hopefully they will be handled with a similar level of professionalism and success as the elevator issue.