Bay Roberts delays Upgrade to training facility over land issue

By Mark Squibb/December 21, 2022

The Town of Bay Roberts has reallocated some funds that were originally intended to be put towards upgrading the town’s fire training facility, but was postponed over a question of land ownership.

“We did have $10,000 in our budget to look at doing some upgrades at the fire training facility, but we’re still in the process of trying to sort out the legal title of that land before we do any work there, so he (Director of Protective Services Justin Parsons) is not able to spend any money,” explained Town CAO Nigel Black. “So, he’s requesting council’s consideration of reallocation of the capital funding for the purchase of some high-volume hose for the fire department.”

The motion to reallocate the money was approved unanimously.

“Basically, the director didn’t want to spend the money on the building without knowing that we have full and clear ownership of the land that it’s on,” said councillor Dean Franey, himself a member of the fire department.

Franey explained the high-volume hose connects to the top of the fire hydrant and is often the one firefighters prioritize. He estimated the cost of the hose at about $2,500 for a 100-foot length.

Mayor Walter Yetman noted that it seemed the legal process involving the land ownership was taking longer than expected.