THUNDER BAY -- Some Westfort residents are voicing their approval for a $1.5-million fire hall on West Frederica Street to replace the aging Brown Street station.
City council selected the West Frederica Street location on the corner of Neebing Avenue Monday. The decision was not unanimous as some councillors did voice opposition.
At-Large Coun. Rebecca Johnson was one of the most vocal in that opposition, saying it’s not the time to consider building two stations when one might suffice.
“I don’t think we can afford to do this right now,” Johnson said during that meeting. “I don’t know how we’re going to keep spending on these things. I don’t know how much a fire hall costs. But the taxpayers are saying stop.”
But some residents in the area told tbnewswatch.com Thursday that they supported the idea of a fire station in their neighbourhood.
Don Dubois has lived in the apartment right next to where the new fire station will be located for six years and said he welcomed a firehall at his front door.
“I think it is a good safety feature for the area,” Dubois said. “I can’t see any problem with it. It needs to be moved from Brown Street. It’s a good move by the city. I think it will be a welcomed sight. I think it is better than having a mini-plaza or something.”
Living close to the Thunder Bay International Airport, a railway crossing and the highway, Dubois is used to noise. He admitted that the sirens from the fire trucks could be bothersome but like the other noise, he said people will eventually get used to it.
Jenny Sharpe, who also lives in the apartment building, agreed with Dubois and welcomed the new fire hall.
Although, she did voice some concern regarding trucks being able to get out of the station and onto the road if a train was backing up traffic.
“I’m sure it will be a good idea, but I wonder if the lot will be big enough,” she said.
“The lot doesn’t seem that big when you look at the size of the fire trucks. Another consideration is the railway tracks. Sometimes those tracks are very busy therefore no one can go that way. It is a very good thing to have a fire station close by but my main concern is the train.”
Albert Vignuda has lived on Frederica for 22 years. He said the street sometimes has some congestion issues because of the narrow roads and volume of apartments and duplexes.
He agreed with Sharpe that the trucks could have a problem getting out if a train is crossing, but overall thought it was a good idea to move it to its new location.
“I don’t know who is doing all the complaining because I don’t see any problem with it,” Vignuda said.
“I don’t see it being a problem. Fire stations don’t make much noise. They will probably use their sirens a block away when they take off. So I don’t think it will be any problem.”
Westfort Coun. Joe Virdiramo said so far he’s heard only positive comments about moving the station to Frederikca. But just to make sure everyone is in favour of the new spot, Virdiramo plans to hold a ward meeting in the New Year so those who have concerns can voice them there.
Virdiramo said he’s working with administration to make the building as appealing as possible instead of simply making it a garage for the trucks.
“People were welcoming the new fire hall,” he said. “I was hoping that we could possibly have one station but we can’t because of the response times and I respect the position the fire chief and deputy chief have taken in relation to providing the best service possible.”
