New Fire Hall

In the 2023-2026 Town of Salisbury Strategic Plan, Town Council committed to moving forward on a new Fire Hall for the Salisbury Fire Rescue Department.

There are a number of reasons the Town decided to pursue a new station, which include:

• A lack of space in the current fire hall, including inadequate space for members to dress/undress, remove or load equipment into the fire apparatus, a limited number of members due to space constraints, a limit of 12 parking spaces adjacent to the Station, etc.;
• The current Fire Hall is immediately across from Salisbury Regional School, presenting significant issues related to parked vehicles that interfere with fire trucks leaving/entering the station;
• Limited space for apparatus parking, meaning trucks are “double stacked”, preventing the second vehicle from leaving in the event of a malfunction with the front vehicle;
• Limited dedicated space for the Department for call debriefs, training, and meetings;
• Until recently, there was no on-site washing or drying facilities for turnout gear. While a temporary solution has been included in the current station, this removed shower facilities from the building.

The current fire station is part of the municipal building on Douglas Street in Salisbury. The original fire station was constructed in 1975 as a standalone structure (48 years ago), with the subsequent addition, including municipal offices, in later years.

As of May 2024, a contract for construction has been awarded. Throughout design, the Town anticipated occupying the facility by the Fall of 2025. As of early 2025, the project remains on schedule, just past 50% completion.

The following is an overview of the building features:

• Double-entrance double apparatus bay;
• Multi-purpose room, accessible to the Public;
• Gym, available to Department members and municipal staff;
• Lounge area;
• Male and female washrooms, specific to the Department (separate from space accessible to the public);
• A breathing apparatus room;
• Mechanical/compressor room;
• A workroom;
• A radio room;
• One office (Fire Chief);
• A flex office, accessible to Department members who may choose to work remotely from the station and increase availability of members during the day-time hours;
• A gear-cleaning room;
• Storage/mezzanine, with option for future use, on a second floor.

The following presents an overview of the final floor plan:

In early 2023, the Town issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for professional services for the design of the Salisbury Fire Rescue Facility and received six (6) proposals. The Town retained Jost+ Architects for this work, and has been working with them since the award for the building design. While Jost+ Architects is the primary consultant, they have sub-contracted engineering work to Fundy Engineering (mechanical, electrical, civil) and Giffin Engineering (structural).

As part of the design work, the Town struck two primary working groups:

• A Fire Department Working Group, consisting of the Chief, the Deputy Chief, three Department members, and the Town’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO);
• An internal working group consisting of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), the Manager of Infrastructure & Public Works, the Clerk/Treasurer, and the Lead Architect.

This project will be financed with a debenture (loan) through annual installments through the Town’s Operating Budget. The Town requested approval to borrow up to $7,500,000 in November of 2023 through the Municipal Capital Borrowing Board (MCBB) and was approved in the Fall as well. This will finance the project over a 20-year term.

In addition to the debenture, the Town has submitted applications to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM)’s Green Municipal Building Fund. This fund aims to assist municipalities with financing energy-efficient buildings through a 15% grant and a subsequent low-interest loan (for up to 80% of the project costs). Throughout the project, the Town has compared costing options between traditional borrowing means available to Municipalities and through FCM’s funding program, and has determined that pursuing the FCM option, even if certain environmentally-proactive measures increase construction costs, is the most feasible option for the Town. The Town’s application is in the final stages of FCM’s process and the Town anticipates a response in the coming weeks.

The design costs have been paid for with the Town’s 2023 Operating Budget and with a contribution through the Canada Community Building Fund (CCBF) (approximately $188,000). As well, the Town has applied to FCM’s Feasibility Study stream to fund a portion of the design costs, which was successful, paying for approximately $85,000 of the costs.

The Town has, in recent years, completed a spatial analysis for municipal buildings. In 2023, it completed an architectural assessment of the building space to ensure that the municipal building at 56 Douglas Street could sustain the growth of the Town in light of Local Governance Reform. This work confirmed that the municipal building will fit the needs of the Town for the foreseeable future. The current Fire Department bays will become the area for the Town’s Department of Infrastructure and Public Works. This will optimize the space, better protect Town assets from vandalism and theft, reduce off-site storage costs, and provide much-needed space for maintenance, repairs, and general workspace.

The following presents an overview of the work undertaken for the new Facility since 2019:

2019:

• In 2019, a Needs Assessment was completed for a new Fire Hall.

2022:

• In 2022, the land transaction for the building location was completed for the land on Main Street.

2023:

• In 2023, the Town retained the Architect firm to design the Facility and have the 2019 Needs Assessment updated, create the Room Data Sheets (specific requirements for each element of the Facility), and design the building;
• The Town worked with the Engineering sub-contractors to undertake an Energy Model Report to optimize energy performance;
• In the Fall, an external cost consultant will complete work to determine potential cost savings and provide a pre-tender cost estimate for the facility;
• The lot has been cleared for construction, and the Town has undertaken topographical surveys as well as geo-technical surveys to finalize the building location and soil quality prior to preparing a tender package.

2024:

• The Town completed a geothermal test well and conductivity test on site to verify civil engineering drawings and finalize the projected mechanical requirements for the geo-thermal system;
• The Town tendered the Facility in April with the project closing in May. It was subsequently awarded during a Special Council Meeting on May 27, 2024.

Additional project updates can be found by consulting the summary update at the top of this page, or, consulting the “How has this project been progressing?” drop-down.

Sustainability and environmental performance has been a top priority for the Town in constructing this Facility, recognizing that it is intended to serve the needs of the Town into the future. In fact, the building will be net-zero ready.

The Town worked with the Design Team and their sub-contractors to complete an energy model and energy simulations, identifying the most efficient energy options, primarily related to the heating system within the building. With the latest model completed with the issued for tender drawings, the building reduces anticipated energy consumption for standard construction for this building by over 40% and reduces the annual operating costs by over $20,000. The primary reason for this reduction is the construction of the facility with ICF shell and a geo-thermal heating and cooling system.

The building will also have electrical infrastructure installed, and space on-site, for future solar panels. This will be the catalyst for it to be a building that produces the energy it consumes in a future phase of the project.

The Station has been designed to serve the needs of the Town well into the future. The apparatus bay consists of drive-through double bays. This will more than double the current apparatus bay space available. In addition to this, the Town has provided significant storage and future-use space in a second-floor mezzanine of the Facility. On the land itself, the Town is reserving ample space for future amenities such as detached storage, etc. that may be required into the future.