The Mayor of Ritchot says it is time to determine whether a fire hall should be built in the community of Ste.Agathe.

Jackie Hunt says they held open houses earlier this year, which identified a lot of residents willing to be volunteer firefighters. But she says now it is time to see if residents are willing to pay for

this project. A public hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday, September 14th.

"In order to put a building in and outfit it, we have to look at different funding schemes for that," explains Hunt. "We are looking at doing a borrowing bylaw so that we can add it to the municipal tax levy. But in order to do that, we have to make sure that there is a public appetite for another fire hall in the municipality and a willingness to pay for it."

Hunt says the public hearing on the 14th will give opportunity for residents to ask questions and provide comments. She says if it looks like there is support, Council can give first reading. But she says all that really does is puts the topic on the table. It does not commit anybody to anything.

If constructed, Hunt says the building will go up north of Provincial Road 305 and east of the service road on the west edge of Ste.Agathe.

"Which is just a perfect location for quick access to the highway and the 305 and the community," says Hunt. "It's a piece of municipal land that we have."

If all goes according to plan, Hunt says they would like to begin construction of the hall next fall. She adds custom building a fire truck takes about eight or nine months. Actual construction of the hall might take three or four months, suggests the Mayor.

Hunt says she is uncertain how much this project could cost. She says it is not just the building to consider, but there is also equipment and training to factor in.

According to Hunt, that fire hall would probably have a team of 15 to 20 firefighters. She notes when they held open houses earlier this year they were pleasantly surprised by the turnout and by the quality of individuals interested in being part of the team.

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