$5M contract awarded for new Harrow Fire Station

by Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative

After years of planning, investigating the needs, and finding the best location, Harrow is one step closer to getting a new fire station.

  During the April 7 Essex Council meeting, the contract for the Request for Tender for the Construction of the new Fire Station 3 was awarded to Gulf Developments for $5,034,519.01, including non-refundable HST.  

That was the lowest tender.

  The bid was also within budget. During the 2026 Budget deliberation, Council approved $5,235,000 for the facility.

  Harrow’s Station 3 will be located at the Harrow Soccer Complex on Rosborough Road. It was noted previously, there will be no impact to existing soccer fields, walking track, and parking.

  Essex Fire & Rescue Services Chief, Jason Pillon, noted that earlier this year, a Request for Tender was issued for the facility. It closed in March, having received 19 submissions from interested parties; 17 of which met requirements. 

The new facility will be identical to the Essex Fire Station 2 facility, located on North Malden Road. There have been a few modifications added regarding the design of interior walls for the Harrow building, Chief Pillon added in response to Councillor Rodney Hammond’s question on the design. That is to accommodate its SCBA compressor, which fills air cylinders.

  Mayor Sherry Bondy is excited to get the project underway and was happy to see there were so many bidders.

  “It shows we were on point with what we put into the budget.”

  She noted there has been some concern about the location, but the Town did look into a lot of different properties for the new facility.

  “This location does save us in land acquisition costs, and using the same blueprint saves us a little bit more as well. So, I know going forward our Administration will do a great job in working with the service groups [of the Harrow Soccer Complex] to let them all know, and also to bring us a tender back for those pickleball [and tennis] courts that are coming next. So, really exciting.”

  In answering Mayor Bondy’s question about timelines, Chief Pillon noted that a conversation will take place with Gulf Developments as soon as the contract is approved.

  Jake Morassut, Director of Community Services/Deputy CAO, noted he has spoken to the contractor, and it sounds like it is ready to go and would not be surprised to see something happening in the next month or so, after the purchase order is approved.

  Deputy Mayor Rob Shepley said he was thankful to get construction underway on Station 3. Essex has three fire stations, with the other two already having new facilities built in the recent past.

  “For a municipality our size, having three fire stations is pretty unique and it really speaks to the level of service that we're putting out there,” Shepley said. While he was not sure how Essex compares to Kingsville or Amherstburg, “I know that the strength of our department comes down to the people. We've got incredible Firefighters across all three stations, and they deserve to have solid, reliable facilities to work out of.

  “This station has been a long-time coming. I'm really glad that we're able to deliver it, not just for our Firefighters, but also for our residents,” Shepley said. He was happy to see the project came in under budget. “I can't wait until we can open the doors and the guys have a nice building to work out of.”

 Background:

• In November of 2018, Essex Fire conducted a building condition assessment and feasibility study on the current facility in downtown Harrow to evaluate options for Station 3. The recommendation made was to purchase new land and construct a new facility;

• In 2024, Essex Council provided approval and $140,000 to start consultation for a new Station 3 facility;

• Also in 2024, Essex Council adopted the Fire Master Plan. Chris Burke, Fire and Safety Specialist at Loomex Group – the firm that created the Fire Master Plan – noted then that in all the sites looked at, the Harrow Soccer Complex was the preferred site. Its size, parking, and response grid are all things that make it a suitable location. The Loomex group also concluded the current Station 3 facility no longer met the department’s needs and would be inadequate for future demands;

• In 2025, Essex Fire began that consultation and determined the best location was at the Harrow Soccer Complex on Roseborough Road in Harrow, where the facility will share the space with existing amenities.

• The Town of Essex has three fire stations. In 2012, ground was broken to begin construction on the rebuild of Fire Station 1 in Essex Centre. That was a $3.5M project then. In the 2020 Town of Essex Budget, $2.7M was allocated to long-term debt for the new Station #2 Fire Hall. The budget was subsequently increased $709,182, due to higher-than-expected costs, including adding grading and a swale to the property. Station 2 opened in 2022.