New fire station to be built at Harrow soccer complex

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Harrow will get a new $4.8-million fire station to be built at the town’s soccer complex on Roseborough Road, councillors decided at a Town of Essex meeting earlier this month. 

“Back in 2022 I was very lukewarm about this location,” said Mayor Sherry Bondy told councillors. “But I know now that under our new fire department leaders that we’ve done a really good job in looking at, and exhausting, all other possibilities.” 

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The station comes years after a building condition assessment and feasibility study  determined “most building systems (in the current fire station on Centre Street East) were in poor to fair condition,” an April 7 report to council by Fire Chief Jason Pillon said. 

That 2018 report concluded current properties were not suitable to upgrade and recommended a new fire station. 

The Roseborough Road location was identified in a 2022 report for the location of Fire Station 3.  

But the town wasn’t satisfied with that location at the time, instead voting to explore other potential locations. 

The ensuing Fire Master Plan, conducted by the Loomex Consulting Group, concluded that the current fire station “does not meet the department’s current needs” and would not be suitable for upgrades, most notably for insufficient space for training rooms or assembly of equipment, Pillon said in his report. 

A property search using a real estate firm identified four potential sites: The Harrow Sports Complex, the Essex Environmental Services Department Office on Sinasac Street West, the lot across from the Harrow EMS station on Queen Street and the corner of Dunn Road and County Road 13. 

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The soccer complex was chosen because it allowed access to critical roads and routes for emergency response, is large enough to accommodate a fire station and a spacious outdoor training area, has adequate parking and meets relevant building codes, including accessibility for people with disabilities. 

And the road in front of the station has minimal traffic, Pillon told councillors. 

The town already owns the land at the complex, so none will have to be acquired.  

The soccer fields are not expected to be impacted by the fire station’s location on the southeast corner of the property, Pillon’s report said. 

The town will use the design for the newly built Fire Station 2 in Essex, saving about $140,000. 

The new station will be designed to meet current and future needs, and the location is unlikely to affect response times since volunteer firefighters live throughout Harrow, he said. 

Funding for the station will be addressed in the 2026 budget. 

bamacleod@postmedia.com

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