By Chad Ingram

Published July 28 2016

The current aging fire hall is locatedbetween Prince Street and Pritchard Lane in Minden's downtown. The new facilitywill be built along Highway 35 in Minden near the county's EMS base on a pieceof property Minden Hills purchased from the County of Haliburton last year. Thetownship paid about $360000 for the land representing half of what it costHaliburton County to purchase the five-acre former Walker's Auto Repairproperty and extend the Minden Hills water and sewer system to the site.

The fire hall building task force madevisits to the fire halls in Port Sydney and Port Carling and the Town ofHuntsville agreed to share the plans for the Port Sydney hall on which theMinden Hills facility will be based.

While the Port Sydney hall has three baysfire chief Doug Schell said Minden Hills would be looking at the option of afourth bay in its building.

As Schell told councillors during a July 28meeting on Aug. 5 the township will issue a pre-qualifying tender for designand construction. The submission period will close two weeks later on Aug. 19.An invitational tender will then go out to qualifying bidders on Sept. 9 withthe window closing Sept. 26.

It is expected council will award thecontract to the winning bidder at its Oct. 27 council meeting.