St. Albert is moving ahead with a land purchase and borrowing bylaw to build the city's fourth fire hall.
On April 6, council voted to approve acquiring approximately 17.3 acres of land north of the future Fowler Way alignment west of St. Albert Trail for $2.55 million. This land is planned to house Fire Hall #4, which is needed to accommodate St. Albert's growing population and northward expansion.
The motion passed on council's consent agenda, meaning there was no discussion of the item.
To purchase the land now, the city is taking $2.25 million from its off-site levy recovery fund. However, the plan is for the land cost to be rolled into a borrowing bylaw along with cost of construction and any equipment purchases – all coming in at an expected $26.5 million. If that borrowing bylaw passes all three readings, the money the city is taking from its off-site levy recovery fund would be reimbursed to that fund.
The fire hall's design is forecasted to cost $1.5 million with construction costs set at $12.8 million. According to a background document from a 2019 motion, the city plans to spend $779,000 in 2022 for a tanker, $1.5 million in 2022 for fire engine and $2.5 million in 2023 to buy an aerial fire truck.
Council also approved first readings of a borrowing bylaw on consent to borrow $26.5 million with repayment set over a period of 20 years. To pay the debt, the city would levy and raise municipal taxes each year, according to the bylaw. If the borrowing bylaw isn't approved, the funding would come from an existing reserve fund, according to the city.
A city spokesperson told the Gazette in an email the seller of the land is confidential at this point.
The fire hall's design, construction and most equipment purchases are set to happen in 2022.
