A new fire hall is finally on its way.

Fort Saskatchewan City Council gave final approval Tuesday to the borrowing bylaw that will pay for the $28.5 million Helmuth Ritter Fire Station.

Council agreed to the final design for the hall, and the necessary loan, in July, but was required by law to give citizens time to object. Alberta's Municipal Government Act allows citizens the opportunity to prepare a petition with sufficient signatures to trigger a public vote.

No such petition was submitted, and Council was therefore able to finalize the loan.

The new hall, to be named the Helmuth Ritter Fire Station, will include three truck bays, 10 dorm rooms, a classroom, and administrative offices, as well as a new Emergency Coordination Centre Room.

It will also include a training ground and training tower.

Once complete, it will become the new primary station Please see FIRE HALL, for the fire department. The existing Walter Thomas Fire Station will remain in full operation, however.

The need for a second fire hall was identified some 20 years ago in order to provide more rapid response to new neighbourhoods. The site for the fire hall was purchased in 2016 at a cost of $4.4 million. Design work was supposed to take place in 2018, with construction to begin in 2020.

The project was delayed many times, however, including six months of debate at City Council in 2025. Several members of Council argued for a low-cost hall able only to house a fire truck, resulting in a deadlock at City Hall that was not resolved until Councillor Patrick Noyen decided to change his vote and let the project planning proceed in June of 2025. Even that decision came only after furious opposition from Councillor Brian Kelly who went so far as to challenge Noyen’s right to change his mind.

Now that the funding is in place, some earthwork is expected to take place at the site this fall, with an official ground breaking next spring.

The new hall is expected to open in 2028.