By Chad Ingram

Published July 5 2018

Minden Hills’ long-awaited new fire hall along Highway 35 is officially open after a ribbon-cutting ceremony during the weekend.

Discussed around the township’s council table through a succession of councils and with preliminary studies completed during the last council term the completion of the $2-million facility marks the end of a significant project  for the municipality.

“I would like to say thanks to an awful lot of people” said Mayor Brent Devolin. “First and foremost my deputy that’s standing beside me this represents a decade worth of work. Obviously current staff fire personnel our former fire chief Doug [Schell] who was part of developing this project.”

Deputy Mayor Cheryl Murdoch also extended thanks to the township’s volunteer fire department.

“This has been on my bucket list for more than 10 years and it makes me very happy to be here today” Murdoch said calling the hall “a wonderful new facility.”

“I would like to say a big thank you to the firefighters and our fire chief and our past fire chief” she said. “I would just like to say to the firefighters to the chiefs this is for you. You deserve it. And I thank you for hanging in with us down at the old fire hall.”

The area along Prince Street where the old hall is housed will be part of a downtown revitalization project the township is undertaking. The hall was badly damaged in the 2013 flood. Among other benefits the location of the new hall is expected to improve the department’s response times.