Residents want say on new emergency services, town hall facility

Construction is anticipated to begin next spring on a new state-of-the art emergency services and town hall complex that will bring Sackville's police, fire and municipal staff all under one roof.
But as town council gets ready to move on to the next stage of the project, one thing that has been markedly absent so far during this process has been the opportunity for Sackville residents to have their say on the new facility.
"I think this definitely needs some public input and I would advise council to take a more cautionary approach before moving ahead too quickly," local resident Sabine Dietz told town councillors following their regular meeting last Tuesday night.
"I personally would like to have more input into this before you get too far down the road," she said, "and I would like to know what's involved before you go and spend my tax dollars."
Most of the councillors were in complete agreement that it's time to let the public in on details of the project and they will soon give residents a chance to let their thoughts known on the $12-million facility.
"The information and magnitude of what we're doing is not out there," said Coun. Mike Tower, who even attempted to table several motions brought to council last week (to get the design phase under way) until the public had an opportunity to learn more about the project.
Tower's attempts to slow the process down, however, were unsuccessful and council still moved forward on hiring a professional management team (Celtic Consulting) that will oversee all aspects of the project at a cost of more than $130,000, as well as issuing a tender for architectural and engineering services for the new facility.
Coun. Merrill Fullerton conceded that he had hoped the public would have had an opportunity by now to provide input into the new facility.
"We need to engage input from the public. This hasn't been discussed openly enough and I think it's important we debate this," he said. "This is the largest-ever municipal project undertaken in our community, and the silence has been deafening."
Fullerton noted that he still had lingering concerns himself over the project, including the question of whether a new town hall should be included in the complex.
"I'm very wary of including our municipal offices in this new building," he said, adding he's not convinced the building needs to be renovated to the extent that's been reported.
But Barry Carroll, the town's chief administrative officer, explained in a follow-up interview that Sackville's town hall is outdated, inefficient, undersized and also has a number of national building code issues. A report conducted two years ago concluded that the building would require about $2 million in upgrades to bring it up to proper standards.
"There is nothing in this building that is up to code," he said, noting there are concerns with the windows, the number of exits, the narrow hallways, the limited storage space, and the lack of handicapped accessibility. "It would take a significant bill to bring it up to standard."
The new facility will offer 10,000 square feet of space for municipal offices and a state-of-the art council chambers on the upper floor that will also serve as a multi-purpose space for RCMP, public groups or as the EMO base in case of emergency.
Deputy Mayor Bob Berry said he believes this new facility is the perfect opportunity for the town to replace its aging town hall.
"There will be more space for staff, it will be more comfortable, it will be better ventilated, more accessible and well-lit . . . now is the time we can offer our municipal office in a new building," he said.
As well, the three other buildings that are currently being used for police and fire services in the community are also aging and in need of repair, said Carroll. He noted that the buildings have been looked at by consultants and all have been condemned based on today's health and safety standards.
The existing two police stations, one located in behind the fire hall and the other in a building on Union Street, have been declared unsafe and non-compliant with today's policing standards.
"The police stations are completely substandard, to the point they either have to be renovated or replaced," said Carroll.
The fire station is undersized and unsuited for today's emergency response, he added.
The new facility will address all of these needs by replacing four aging buildings with one that will be about 40 per cent more energy-efficient, he said.
The first floor of the building will be set aside for RCMP and fire personnel, with one side consisting of offices, jail cells, exhibit and training rooms for the Mounties while a central common area will join up with the other side, which will serve as office and storage space, as well as a truck bay, for the fire department.
Both highway and municipal RCMP officers will be housed in the new building, as well as a new traffic division and investigative unit for the region, Carroll explained. This means that there will be seven new police officers on location.
Carroll said the RCMP has agreed to pay for its share of construction costs, as well as annual maintenance and operation expenses.
"So we finance it, and they pay us back those costs through the lease arrangement."
Architectural, design and engineering work is expected to take about 10 months, with construction anticipated to begin in the spring of 2010.
Coun. Joyce O'Neil said the town is "more than due" for a new fire station as well as town offices and insists the new building will be something the community will be proud of.
"There's been hundreds of hours put into this and I think it's time to put it into action," she said.
Coun. Bruce Phinney agreed.
"The time is now to move forward," he said. "I truly think this is one of the best projects to ever hit this town and I'm proud of it."
Mayor Pat Estabrooks acknowledged that the existing facilities are outdated and not meeting the needs of the residents, especially from an emergency services perspective. But the mayor did caution that there needs to be more public involvement before the town moves any further on this project.
"I would like to see us tell the town of Sackville what we're building," she said. "I think the time is now to go to the public and tell the people what we're spending their money on.
Coun. Margaret Tusz-King said although many of the concerns over the building have been addressed during council's monthly discussion groups, unfortunately the public hasn't been privy to what's been talked about during those closed-door sessions.
"I am concerned that the public has not been along with us on this journey," said Tusz-King. "I am fully supportive of this project but I'm disappointed that the residents are not along the same road we've been on. I think it's time we offer them more substantial information so they can share in the excitement of this project."
A public meeting is being scheduled for later this month or early May.