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Council looks at lowering costs for new Orangeville Fire Hall as initial estimate nearly quadruples

November 21, 2024   ·   0 Comments

Projected cost rises from $8.5 million to $31.6 million

By JAMES MATTHEWS

At least one resident feels construction of Orangeville’s new fire hall should be put on hold because of increasing costs for the project.

Orangeville resident James Jackson took issue with the spiralling costs associated with the town’s new fire hall and he voiced those concerns when council met on Nov. 18.

He supports the local fire department and its firefighters, but consideration has to be given to the taxpayers who will struggle under the yoke of the new fire hall’s spiralling construction costs.

“It’s gone about four times as much,” he said of the price to build the new fire hall. “As a concerned citizen and taxpayer, I’m just more or less thinking that maybe we should put that on hold instead of building the Taj Mahal for our fire department.

“The taxes in this town, it’s going to keep going up and up and somebody who is on a fixed income, I can’t afford more.”

Here is some background on the project and its price tag.

The development of a new Orangeville Fire Station (OFS) has been in progress since early 2021. The initial estimated construction cost for the 20,000-square-foot fire station was $8.5 million.

Council in 2022 approved the OFS design for a 28,649 square foot fire headquarters. At that time, the cost of the fire station has increased to almost $16 million.

But that wasn’t the end of the rising costs.

The floor plan was slightly increased in 2023 to accommodate a lower-level mechanical room. It added 940 square feet to the structure. The total cost of the project, including “related non-construction costs,” is forecasted to be $31.6 million, according to a report to council.

According to a report to town council, the 2022 estimates were based on conceptual plans and reflected construction costs only. The updated projected cost is based on a detailed design and includes all project costs.

The initial estimate didn’t include taxes, land costs, permits, design fees, furniture fixtures, equipment, and some site work.

Exploring net zero building standards caused a delay and added to architectural costs. The Non-Net Zero construction costs would have been $21,876,580 for construction only.

Another factor in the costs is remediation plans to address a major drainage issue located on a property adjacent to the proposed site. That brought additional architectural and engineering costs.

There has been higher demand post-pandemic in the construction market since early 2022 and construction costs have increased dramatically.

“It’s getting too costly,” Jackson said.

“We recognize the increased budget we did not anticipate at this point is a bit high and we are revisiting four options in order to decrease the costs,” said Heather Savage, the town’s community service general manager.

As a means to lower the price, the square footage could be decreased and the architectural features could be simplified. Construction could be limited to the suppression and training grounds. Administration could be kept in the existing fire station and fire prevention staff could be moved to this location. The town could switch gears toward renovating the existing fire station on Dawson Drive or they could postpone the project until an updated funding plan is determined.

Of course, a change in direction will create additional costs.

Savage said town staff have spoken with the firefighters themselves about the project.

“I’ve heard over and over again that they need a functional facility,” she said. “They’re not looking for bells and whistles. They need something to be able to perform their job.”

“The report does not suggest moving forward with the $32 million, $30 million fire hall,” Mayor Lisa Post said. “It’s just notifying council that this is how costs have changed since the initial approval of the current plan.”

Councillor Rick Stevens said the town simply can’t afford $32 million to move forward with the project. In light of that, he could support all cost-trimming options outlined in the report except the suggestion to only build the suppression and training grounds.

It also recommends keeping the fire department administration at the current fire hall and moving the fire prevention staff.

“I don’t like splitting up the service,” he said. “I think they need to be in one building.”

As the town’s representative on the Cred Valley Conservation Authority (CVC), Coun. Andy Macintosh, who is a former town fire chief, said he is going to lobby against the floodplain designation on the site of the proposed fire hall.

“It has never flooded,” he said. “It has never come close to flooding.”

“We’re working very collaboratively with the CVC,” said David Smith, the town’s CAO. “They’ve been nothing but helpful to date.”

Coun. Joe Andrews said it’s important not to wait too long before getting to work. The options available to council are unique and interesting.

“The longer we wait, the more expensive it’s going to be,” Andrews said. “I have a lot of experience going through these types of exercises. The longer you have dialogue, unfortunately as we know, things will end up costing more.”

There’s no way he will support greenlighting a $32 million facility, he said.

“Just not going to happen on my watch,” Andrews said.

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