Ambulance base debate headed to resolution?

Jeff Green | May 26, 2011

For 12 hours a day, unless they are called away, two Frontenac County paramedics sit in their vehicle on a parking lot next to the former Palmerston Township garage, which is located near the ghost town of Donaldson, Ontario.

This was the status quo for a long time before Paul Charbonneau took over the Frontenac Paramedic Services in 2006.

“One of my first priorities was to deal with the situation in the north,” Charbonneau has repeatedly told Frontenac County Council.

Yet, five years later, despite the collective efforts of the paramedic services, the county, and the Township of North Frontenac, the ambulance is still parked on that lonely lot far from any services or population centres.

A resolution was passed by county council 15 months ago directing staff to sort out how this project could be completed, but differences over how to share costs have stalled the project thus far.

Central to the disagreement has been a proposal by county staff that, based upon the understanding that the proposed ambulance base/fire hall in Ompah would include a 1,500 square feet ambulance base and a 3,000 square feet fire hall, the county would pay 1/3 of the total construction costs.

The township has balked at this, for two reasons. First, estimated construction costs are higher for ambulance bases ($195 per square foot) than for fire halls ($125 per square foot) and secondly the township does not want to commit to any size for the fire hall because they want some flexibility in costing the project. The county has set $300,000 aside for the project and the township has $395,000 set aside. The Ompah fire crew has also raised money that can be used, but the crew is waiting to see the plans for the hall before they make a commitment.

“It is now May 18, and we have short building season. I think we need to get on with this project now. That's why I propose that we approve today, an RFP [request for proposal] for project management for a design/build combined fire hall ambulance base at a site that has been prepared in Ompah. We will put an upset limit of $300,000 for the county contribution and share the costs on a 50/50 basis until that point,” said North Frontenac Mayor Bud Clayton.

“It is not only the capital costs that concern the county. It is the ongoing maintenance and upkeep costs and how those will be divided that we need to work out,” said Liz Savill, the Chief Administrative Officer of Frontenac County.

“I agree the building opportunity is short, but we do need to work out the ongoing costs,” said County Warden Gary Davison.

“To me the operating cost split is not a big deal. This is the first time anyone has mentioned it. I would like to see a resolution passed today to get the ball rolling and we can work out the operating cost later. The construction needs to start,” said Councilor John Inglis.

“I hate to hold this thing up,” said Warden Davison, “but I think we need to take the next step first and have Liz contact the CAO of North Frontenac to do that so we can get this underway after our next meeting.

Savill said she would contact North Frontenac CAO Cheryl Robson after she returns from holidays.

Because of travel plans of members of county council, there will be no June meeting. So the progress on the ambulance base/fire hall project will be stalled until at least July 6, which is the date of the next meeting.

Once the Ompah project is approved and built, the county will be committed to relocating the current Parham ambulance base in the vicinity of Sharbot Lake within three to five years.

The county does not have money in reserves to cover that project, which is estimated to cost up to $1 million.