New Wainfleet fire station more than $1 million over original budget

Wainfleet Council had a special meeting Friday (April 8) to finally okay the company that will be building their new centralized fire station.

The project, which has been dragging on since the need for a new station was identified in their 2013 master fire plan, has finally chosen TRP Construction General Contractors has been awarded the contract to build the new hall at a construction cost of $5,950,000.

However, because the council bickered on everything from the station’s office space to when the tenders should be issued to built it over the past 10 years, the new construction costs far exceed the original $4.5 million the township had budget for the station.

The biggest reason for the high price tag is that costs of construction material have skyrocketed through the pandemic between March 2020 and March 2022.

Nonetheless, now that the council finally okayed the construction company, shovels are hitting the ground within a month or two.

“Today is a great day for the Township and one that will not only increase safety in our community, but also, leave it well positioned for decades to come,” said Wainfleet Mayor Kevin Gibson, who campaigned in the 2018 election on getting the new station built.

The new centralized station is being constructed on Highway 3, just west of Chambers Corners, on land purchased by Wainfleet in 2019 for that purpose.

It will replace both Fire Stations #1 and #2, which are both so small, they can’t even accommodate standard firetrucks.

Station #1, built in 1947, sits on too small a plot of land to create the 5,000 square foot replacement and Station #2 would cost more to renovate than it would be completely rebuild a new station.

One person happy with the final go-ahead was Wainfleet Fire Chief Morgan Alcock, who noted, “The need to upgrade and modernize both buildings and apparatus is a natural progression for forward thinking Councils who are being responsive in the present to ensure the level of service they establish can be met both now and in the years to come.”

Both Wainfleet Fire Station #1, above left, and Fire Station #2 will be replaced by the new centralized fire station coming to Wainfleet.