That was the message Councillor Wanda Austin told her colleagues on Lac La Biche County Council during budget deliberations last Monday.
Austin says firefighters are also using equipment and vehicles that are shoddy at best, and unreliable at worst. A new fully equipped fire hall for Rich Lake is listed as one of council's strategic priorities in the 2014 budget. The strategic priorities list has been referred to several times during meetings as "the councillors' wish list."
Also on the list is a new community hall for Rich Lake, and council debated the possibility of placing the community hall and the fire hall under the same roof.
"I'm not in favour of these combination buildings," Nowak said. "We keep trying to package things into one space. I will not support these conglomerations."
The Rich Lake project, if constructed, could also include a riding arena, an inclusion councillors were largely opposed to.
When contacted later in the week by POST staff, Austin said support for a single building to house all of Rich Lake's new facilities is very low on Council, and the fire hall could very well be reconstructed in its current location.
"It's in a nice location where it is," she said. "The building's just so old and it won't stand forever."
Austin says she has visited the fire hall herself and knows first-hand the problems the firefighters stationed there are experiencing. Those problems include a sinking cement floor and a fly infestation bad enough to warrant hiring exterminators.
At one point, councillors asked each other whether or not a fire hall in Rich Lake is necessary, and Austin reminded Council that Lac La Biche County's fire department often makes use of personnel and equipment from multiple stations simultaneously when responding to emergencies.
Furthermore, Austin says residents of Rich Lake are growing tired of seeing County funds spent in and around Lac La Biche and Plamondon rather than in the more outlying communities.
Council did not reach an agreement concerning the Rich Lake fire hall or community hall, and both items will be tabled again at later meetings.
CN railyard debate back on track
Like the little engine that could, the relocation of the CN railyard is once again an item for discussion by council.
Moving the railyard is another of the items on council's list of strategic priorities, and it's an issue that has sparked discussion several times before.
The debate over the railyard is multi-faceted: Council has also talked of imposing a speed limit for trains passing through the hamlet of Lac La Biche, and has spoken of moving the entire rail line to a new location.
As it is currently placed, the railway effectively bisects Lac La Biche. Residents have recently ex pressed their frustration with its location on the POST's Facebook page.
"Annoying! When you have to stroll all the way around by A&W. Walking through the tracks can save you at least 20 mins especially when you have kids and you're trying to make it to work," said poster Adrianna Boostrom, one of 28 comments viewed by more than 2,000 people on the POST's social media site.
"I think we're 10 days away from a catastrophe," Nowak said.
Mayor Aurel Lan gevin has directed County administrators to arrange a meeting with CN officials, and the mayor told council that, as a group, they would likely be fighting an uphill battle when it comes to convincing CN to side with council.
"This is not going to be an easy task," Langevin said.
Nowak asked council to consider hiring a consultant to examine Lac La Biche's situation. Councillors agreed that the railway is an inconvenience to many residents, and there are safety concerns.
Langevin said the railway has existed for many years and the community was built to accommodate the tracks rather than the other way around.
Councillor Hajar Haymour said moving hazardous materials was not a concern for the community in its earlier days - but has since become one.
There was no timeframe given on meeting dates with CN.
Railway safety in many Canadian municipalities became a high-profile issue after a train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded in Lac-MĂ©gantic, Quebec last summer.
