The Town of Essex is looking to build a new fire station in Harrow.
After an inspection in 2018, most building systems at Fire Station 3 were found to be in poor to fair condition mainly due to their age, and two stations nearby have both been recently renovated.
Council will be discussing the next steps to approving the station this evening.
Ward 3 Councillor Chris Vander Doelen says he's not sure if the fire station is crucial for the town, as of now.
"Well eventually we're going to have to replace that station, but I'm not in any rush to do it because the paint isn't even try on the last new station, we just finished it a few months ago. So do we need a new station? Eventually. Right now? I don't think so. We need a new town hall far more, and we need improvements to our roads far more."
He says despite not seeing the need for a new station, the land for the proposed fire hall is a perfect spot for it.
"It's an industrially zoned area. There's the park, and then there's about 50 acres of industrially zoned land, and there's several factories, including Atlas Tube. It's an industrial area, and it's perfect for a fire hall and the best thing is we already own the land," Vander Doelen said.
He says the town is focusing on Station 3 for a new location because the fire department wants another new station.
"Fire Station 3 in Harrow is a little bit on the tired side, and we've replaced the other two stations. And so they've been searching for a couple of years trying to figure out the best place to put it. And fortunately, the best place to put a new station is on land that the town already owns."
According to the report, Fire Administration Staff has been investigating properties to construct the new facility and have found that the Harrow Soccer Complex is a primary location that would fit the departments needs.
The proposed time frame on the project would see designs scheduled to begin as part of the 2024 budgets, with the build occurring in 2025.
Council will discuss the plans for the new station during their Monday meeting which begins and 6 p.m.