A second fire hall isn't going up in LaSalle just yet.
A 5-2 vote saw town council reject a proposal that would have seen the new hall built where John Dupuis Park is now — in the middle of a residential neighbourhood on Hazel St. between Superior St. and Huron St.
The nearly $2.1-million plan would have revamped the land to fit both a smaller park and the new fire hall. A further $1-million was ear marked for road work on Hazel St.
A second fire hall in LaSalle is proposed for John Dupuis Park on Hazel St. Photo taken July 11, 2017. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
Dave Edgar lives in the area and was one of the many residents who packed council chambers to oppose the plan.
He says safety was the top concern — saying speeding fire trucks and playing children don't mix.
"It seems obvious that you don't want a fire station in the middle of a thriving neighbourhood with lots of young children playing in the park, so that was our number one argument and they heard it."
Dave Edgar addresses council as a delegate on the issue of a new fire hall, proposed to be located on Hazel St. at John Dupuis Park, at the regular meeting of council on July 11, 2017. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
LaSalle Mayor Ken Antaya along with councillor Terry Burns were the only votes of support for the plan.
Antaya feels the spot was the right one for the hall.
"As difficult as it is, there are right decisions and there are difficult decisions and you try and blend the two. The right decision turns into a difficult decision and it might not be the most popular one."
He says council now has it's work cut out in finding a suitable location for the needed second fire hall.
"Well I think now we go back to square one. A lot of the alternate sites that have been requested in the second resolution have already been looked at, so I don't know what we're going to do — I don't know if we're going to have to go out there and start looking at private pieces of property," says Antaya.
LaSalle Mayor Ken Antaya attends the regular meeting of council on July 11, 2017. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
For the Knight family, council's decision was more than welcomed. Chris and Lori Knight live in the neighbourhood with their 9-year-old daughter.
Chris describes the rejected proposal as a weight off his shoulders.
"Relief, more than anything," says Knight. "Relief that we were able to articulate our concerns in a way that was clear to council. Relief that our children won't be faced with, what we perceive to be an increased risk to their well being."
Lori says their daughter has anxiety issues and a new fire hall in the neighbourhood could have been a big blow to her family.
"Her first concern at [9 years old] was, 'Mama, there are so many cars that go around everywhere — I'm really afraid that I could get hit by a car,'" she says.
The family clearly had strong feelings concerning the proposed location for the new fire hall.
"I feel like I've been holding my breath for a long time and just being able to breathe again and go home and tell our daughter, 'Hey, we explained how government works and it worked,'" says Lori Knight. "People listened to our concerns."
Chris Knight addresses council as a delegate on the issue of a new fire hall, proposed to be located on Hazel St. at John Dupuis Park, at the regular meeting of council on July 11, 2017. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
Antaya says while it looks like John Dupuis Park won't be the location for a second fire hall, a decision still needs to be made.
"The problem's not going away — we still have an issue in relation to response," says Antaya. "I can appreciate that they're trying to protect their neighbourhood and I think that we'll probably face the same problem elsewhere."
In rejecting the proposed location for the new hall, council asked administration to report back with other location options for a second fire hall.
LaSalle council meets for its regular meeting on July 11, 2017. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
Rajesh Sath addresses council as a delegate on the issue of a new fire hall, proposed to be located on Hazel St. at John Dupuis Park, at the regular meeting of council on July 11, 2017. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)
A second fire hall in LaSalle is proposed for John Dupuis Park on Hazel St. Photo taken July 11, 2017. (Photo by Ricardo Veneza)