Saturna Island Fire Protection Society News
By Bernie Ziegler
Chair, SIFPS Communications Committee
Grand Opening
The Saturna Island Volunteer Fire Department and Saturna Island Rescue moved into their two new Emergency Services Buildings (ESBs) on February 15, 2011, as planned. Emergency Preparedness and Parks Canada have also moved their equipment into the new buildings. The official opening of both new buildings will be held on Saturday, June 18 at 2:00 p.m. at ESB #1, starting at 1:00 p.m. Before the opening ceremonies, fire and rescue crews will be conducting tours of the new buildings. Tours of ESB #2 will be conducted between 11:00 a.m. and noon, while tours of ESB #1 will be held from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. The exact details of the festivities are being worked out and will be made available on our website beforehand and the June issue of the Scribbler.
Construction Update
Since our last update, the only thing which remains to be done at ESB #1 is landscaping, which, pending Rec Centre approval, will commence by May 15, 2011.
At ESB #2, the following items remain to be tackled:
- Framing of the apron in front of the entrance to the building and pouring of concrete
- Installation and connection the oil separation tanks:
- Final grading for the parking area
- Landscaping: start date – a meeting with the neighbours was scheduled for April 26,
2011, followed by Islands Trust review/approval of the visual screening required by
the restrictive covenant.
Financial Considerations
The board of directors has finalized a fixed mortgage with a term of five years for both new buildings with the TD Bank at $250,000 at 5.219% interest. The amortization period for this mortgage is 10 years. 10% of the mortgage can be prepaid each year without penalty and if all goes to plan, this mortgage will be paid off in as few as six years. In addition, a short-term mortgage at a variable rate of .75% over prime (currently at 3.75%) is also being arranged to cover final construction and landscaping costs. This mortgage can be fully paid off at any time, without penalty. It is expected to be paid off within one to two years.
Donations
The SIFPS received donations of $1,000 late in 2010 from a local donor specifically for landscaping at ESB #2 and recently received a $2,000 donation from a non-resident donor to be directed toward the volunteer firefighters. SIFPS , the volunteer firefighters and the volunteer rescue attendants are most grateful for this support.
2011 SIFPS AGM
The 2011 SIFPS Annual General Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, June 18, 2011, in the truck bay of ESB #1, following the official opening of both ESBs. Be sure to check out our website at http://sifps.ca for the agenda.
The complete expenditure and budget breakout of construction costs for the two ESBs will be made available to the membership at the AGM. As well, the membership will be asked to decide which level of accounting review should be conducted of the SIFPS financial records.
And finally, the SIFPS Nominations Committee is looking for member willing to stand as potential candidates for election to the board of directors. If you are interested, please contact either John Savage at jws@savageconsultants.com, Brian Haley at bhaley@saturnacan.net or Ron Hall at rhall@telus.net.
We look forward to seeing everyone at the opening of the ESBs on June 18, 2011.