Adam Bramburger
Beaver Staff
Lennox and Addington County solidified the future of an existing ambulance base last week, while work continues on two new builds.
On Jan. 17, the county closed a deal to purchase the building housing its existing Denbigh base in Addington Highlands for $70,000.
The continued operations of the Denbigh base had been debated since 2013 when the County opened a new base in Northbrook.
Last fall, council decided to continue operating 12-hour service at the base and it considered options prepared by consultant Colbourne and Kembel Architects Inc.. regarding building requirements.
After examining a cost analysis on building a new base, continuing to lease the existing base, or buying the base council decided to move forward with the purchase.
The County’s emergency services chief, Mark Schjerning, said there was concern the municipality may lose the building in the future because it had been listed for sale by its owners.
“The purchase will allow us to continue operating ambulance service out of Denbigh without any risk of not having a physical location to do it out of,” he said. “If it did sell and the new owner didn’t want us to continue there as tenants, we’d be scrambling, perhaps, to find a new location in Denbigh.”
The County engaged in a building inspection and a Phase 1 environmental assessment before the purchase, which Colbourne and Kembal recommended budgeting over a 20-year period.
Schjerning indicated the County also plans to spend $10,000 on building improvements at the site.
“It’s an older building — I don’t think that’s any secret — and there are a number of improvements we’re going to want to be making in the short term,” he said. “We’re working with our property services department to identify priorities and work with them.”
Schjerning indicated a primary concern is dealing with moisture issues, particularly in the garage area where paramedic vehicles are washed. The County will also examine the building envelope and studying areas like roofing, insulation, and windows. The installation of an automatic generator is also planned.
In 2016, ambulances from the base responded to 198 calls for service. Two-thirds of those were cross-border calls to Hastings and Renfrew counties. It also provided standby coverage for the Northbrook base on 289 cases when its ambulances were on call.
Schjerning said it was a “pretty safe statement” that residents in the area were relieved services will continue and concluded the purchase agreement provides good value compared to relocating or building new.
During the fall, council also supported a plan that would see a base established in Stone Mills Township with one ambulance and 12-hour staffing in 2018, stepping up to 24-hour service by 2022. The Napanee base would also receive an extra 12 hours of night coverage by 2020.
The plan called for construction of new bases in Stone Mills and Loyalist.
Schjerning indicated in Stone Mills, a conditional offer has been accepted for a property along County Rd. 4 south of Centreville, which would close on or before April 30. The conditions include a land survey and topographical survey — which have been completed — a Phase 1 environmental assessment and geotechnical study. A drilled well, septic system approval, and rezoning are also in progress.
“We would anticipate our conditions will be met, hopefully very soon, and that we can finalize the purchase and start working with Colbourne and Kembal to get the plans done, get a tender ready, and plan for construction to start early in the spring,” Schjerning said.
According to Schjerning, the base will be similar to the Northport base and he estimates construction costs could be in the neighbourhood of $1.5-2 million. The actual design may vary slightly due to geotechnical surveys and where the footing needs to be placed.
The chief said Stone Mills’ historic response times made building the base a priority in service planning.
“Historically, Stone Mills has had the highest response time for emergency calls — upwards of 18-20 minutes,” he said. “Clearly having a base in Stone Mills, if that vehicle is at base, it will significantly improve response times.”
The purchase of an ambulance for station will also free up ambulances at neighbouring stations during working hours.
The County began using its current base in Loyalist Township in 2012. The leased two-bay facility is located at the corner of County Rd. 6 and County Rd. 23. While it worked with the owner on several leasehold improvements, the site was intended to be temporary as the base does not have a generator and it is not constructed to “post-disaster standards.”
The base was intended to be used until a permanent solution could be built. Last fall, council gave the go-ahead for staff to seek a location for that build. Thus far, it has proven to be a challenging assignment.
Schjerning said Loyalist Township did not have any of its own properties to offer and a subsequent advertisement in print media also did not attract interested sellers. He indicated staff have looked at the response times in various parts of the township and determined the station should be somewhere along County Rd. 23 between County Rd. 4 and County Rd. 6.
Ideally, the space would be near an intersection. “Being closer to an intersection at either one of those locations, you’re able to go north and south, not just east and west,” Schjerning said.
The County will now conduct a targeted approach, reaching out to property owners in the desired area. Schjerning said a similar approach was successful in Stone Mills site selection. Overall, the chief said he’s pleased with the approach council has taken to planning for future service needs. “Council’s been very supportive of this entire process and, like all of us, they’re anxious to see it move on,” he said. “The folks in Stone Mills are excited to see a base there, right now they’re the only lower-tier (municipality) without a base. We’re looking forward to it, just as I’m sure the residents are.”