The future of the Plum Coulee Fire Hall is up for discussion among Municipality of Rhineland officials.

At its upcoming planning session, Council will weigh whether to update the existing station or relocate it to a renovated property elsewhere in the Local Urban District (L.U.D).

"The Plum Coulee Fire Hall has been deemed to be inadequate for a long period of time," explained Reeve Don Wiebe.

Not only is the current facility too small for current and future needs, but Wiebe says its location next to the beach also raises traffic concerns for fire fighters responding to emergencies.

Additionally, the hall sits on the same lot as a water pump house which, according to Wiebe, is considered a 'non-conforming use'. With a replacement pump station planned to be built at a different spot, Wiebe notes the question has been raised about what to do with the old building as well as the needs for a new fire hall.

Officials have already explored the option of renovating and building-up an existing property in town, however, Wiebe notes there hasn't been much consideration about what to do with the current site.

"We expect the tenders for the new pump house to go out in early December, and so then we'll be able to see (that project) proceed which will give us some time to decide what to do with the Plum Coulee Fire Hall."

"So all of these questions are going to come up at this year's budget planning sessions, and we'll see where it takes us," added Wiebe.