Essex considering soccer complex as site of future fire station

The Town of Essex is hoping to approve a new fire station location at a soccer complex.

The Town of Essex will consider the parking lot of the Harrow Soccer Complex as the new home for Fire Station 3.

A report heading to town council on Monday evening recommends that the site be approved and the architectural design process move forward.

“We’ve been looking at building a new fire station since 2018 when we did a building condition assessment, and it said that there were more problems with the current station than it is to put money in there,” said Sherry Bondy, the town’s mayor.

A previous inspection of Fire Station 3 showed many of the building’s facilities to be in poor or fair condition, according to a staff report.

Essex’s Master Fire Plan also found the current station does not meet the department’s current or future needs.

The soccer complex was first identified in 2022 as a potential site, but council decided to explore additional locations to better determine the best site.

Bondy said she voiced concerns over how the station could impact the complex, and whether the road’s frequent use by commercial trucks could be problematic.

“So, my concerns have really been alleviated. And I hope those discussions come out tomorrow at the council meeting,” she said.

Because the town owns the land, the complex will save potential acquisition costs. Bondy added they would follow the design and layout of the recently constructed Fire Station 2.

The report estimated construction of the new station would be about $4.8 million.

“I think what we need to get out there to the community is that we’re trying to provide a brand new, state-of-the-art fire station that is much needed in our town,” Bondy said, citing the region’s growth.

“The old station is very antiquated, so at the same time, we want to be fiscally responsible.”

Bondy said they would hope to put the tender out this year, with construction beginning within the next two years.

Ontario Provincial Police

Ahead of Monday’s regular council meeting, a special meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. to discuss their Ontario Provincial Police service.

Currently, the OPP is contracted to provide police services for the town of Essex.

Bondy said the meeting comes after a community survey, which showed satisfaction with the OPP wasn’t as high as she had hoped.

“So a few of our council members said let’s look at what is our billing model, whether [there are] other potential options, and should we look at potentially tendering?” she said.

Bondy said their decision will ultimately come down to whether they are unsatisfied enough to risk finding another policing model.

“I’m actually quite happy, I’m building a lot of relationships. I know they’re upping their presence, they’re hiring more officers, they have a higher officer compliment than they have had in the past,” she added.

“So I think if we’re going to look at anything else, you know, going with another police force or looking at regional, we’re going to be spending millions more.”

The special meeting follows discussions at an Essex County Council meeting on April 2, which saw little interest in a regional police force.