Town council – in a divided vote – has opted to put the old fire hall on Vale Island up for sale.
At a Sept. 17 special meeting, council approved a motion to direct administration to sell the building, which is currently used for storage, if a buyer can be found at the appraised value or higher.
The motion also directed administration to provide council with a detailed plan for storage space for emergency services assets that cannot be accommodated within the new fire hall.
The future of the old fire hall has been a contentious subject at council for several years.
One issue was whether enough time has passed to allow council to vote on the fate of the building since it was last considered in 2016.
Judy Goucher, the senior administrative officer (SAO) with the town, provided a legal opinion on whether or not council could revisit this topic.
"The lawyer came back and said 'yes' that sufficient time has passed and there's no impediment to council reconsidering this issue," she said.
Goucher noted administration had also been asked to come up with a plan for storage in advance of council making a decision.
Glenn Smith, the assistant SAO, said the equipment in the old fire hall could be stored inside at the town's recreation yard or in sea cans.
Coun. Vince McKay had a number of concerns, including how the town was protecting its assets and whether the motion was being properly reconsidered to sell the old fire hall.
Mayor Brad Mapes said proper alternative storage has been identified for the equipment.
"The issue that I've got is we've kind of discussed this building for the last six years," he said. "It's always come up to be the issue of storage space to make sure that we have the proper storage space."
Mapes said a sale would generate funds and property taxes after a sale.
"I definitely believe it's time," he said.
A background report to council estimated the potential revenue of $210,000 or greater if the fire hall sells for its appraised value.
Deputy Mayor Donna Lee Jungkind agreed with selling the building.
"I think it's kind of a no-brainer," said Jungkind. "We put it up for sale and see what happens."
McKay and Coun. Keith Dohey voted against selling the building.