By Scott Roblin

New Cypress County fire station planned for Dunmore area

Jun 7, 2017 | 5:05 PM

DUNMORE, AB – Cypress County council has decided on a new fire hall, but it’s not the one the County’s fire chief had recommended.

At their latest meeting, council voted 6-3 to go forward with submitting a bid on the Outlaw Collision building and flipping it into a new fire station.

The Outlaw building was the second option presented by Fire Chief Kelly Meyer, who recommended temporarily moving into the County buildings while a brand new building was constructed in the 900 block of 2nd Avenue.

Meyer said while the Outlaw building wasn’t his top pick, it can still be a good fit for his crews.

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“My first option was my feelings and the way I visioned how things could potentially go,” said Meyer. “Also, when I looked at the Outlaw building I did have visions of how we can make it good, and still produce the same functions even if we were going to build a new one.”

The expansion project was brought on after the termination of the County’s fire services contract with the City of Medicine Hat.

A new fire station in the Dunmore area will likely cover ground lost due to this contract ending at the end of 2017.

Councillor Dustin Vossler, who also is a volunteer firefighter in Seven Persons, said the timeline made better sense with the Outlaw building.

“In order to build the building and get it set up, we were looking at probably two years time,” said Vossler. “To the point where we got it designed and completed. By purchasing this building that’s existing, we can get started right away and start to do training for the new Dunmore Fire Department.”

According to Meyer, getting the process towards a new building started is the most important aspect.

“It didn’t discourage anybody,” he said. “Everybody knows that we still want to move forward, and regardless of where we’re at, we’re still going to provide a high quality of care and services.”

County staff have started talks with the current owners, and are in the process of submitting a request for proposal.