Estimate of Cherry Grove Fire Hall to cost almost $7M, discussion set for budget

The M.D. of Bonnyville will discuss building a fire hall in Cherry Grove in a few months time during budget deliberations.

Council received a report from administration on Tuesday, outlining some potential costs for the build, options similar to the constructions of the new halls in Fort Kent and Ardmore.

With a motion to pursue a build similar to Ardmore, including a grader shop, the estimate price tag is just under $7 million, at $6.81 million from first blush.

More detailed analysis will come ahead of budget discussions.

“It’s vital,” said councillor Ben Fadeyiw, as council poured into the report.

“We’ve had some fires with total losses and residents are sitting there watching these fires go down completely helpless.”

Late last year, Cherry Grove was targeted with a series of arsons.

This included a church burning down completely in late April, damage to their post office, and at the Rodeo Grounds.

While the culprit, John Cook, was apprehended and charged with ten counts of arson, discussions have continued since then about building a fire hall in the M.D.’s largest hamlet.

This also comes with more emphasis on wildfires risk with the current situations in the Northwest Territories and British Columbia.

A challenge that the M.D. will consider is there are no direct waterlines for this potential fire hall to hook into. They would have to provide a cistern or have some water source their trucks could pull from.

Right now, the Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority contracts the Cold Lake Fire Station with two pumper trucks and one tanker to respond, trucks they own.

The discussion at the council table turned to potential volunteers who would staff a future hall.

Councillor Dana Swigart voiced that he thinks the recruiting should be happening right.

Reeve Barry Kalinski and councillor Ben Fadeyiw said they should commit to the hall build first.

Budget discussions are set to happen later this year, before passing the 2024 M.D. operating and capital budgets.

“The Cherry Grove Ag Society will be happy to help get that message out. There’s people that are calling me on a regular basis asked me when the volunteer call is going to happen.”