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City council has taken the first step in selling Fire Station No. 1.

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Coun. Rupert Bernard

Coun. Derek Burchill

Councillors voted Monday night to accept an expression of interest in the property, even though a new location has not yet been selected.

Coun. Derek Burchill read the motion.

"I would move that the city of Miramichi accept an expression of interest for Fire Station No. 1 located on 15 Jane street Miramichi," Burchill said.

Coun. Rupert Bernard objected, saying the management report contained an earlier motion of council that specifically says the city should not entertain expressions of interest in the property until a new location had been found.

"Have we got a deal on a location?" Bernard said.

City Manager Doug Chase told council the city has not found a new location yet. Coun. Robert Trevors said a developer was interested and the city needed to encourage developers who want to do business in Miramichi.

"We're going to be real darn good friends to any developer," he said.

Trevors also said he spoke with Chief John Maher and was told the department could work from a temporary location until a new fire station was built.

Council is currently reviewing new fire station locations recommended by consulting firm ADI, hired earlier by the city.

The subject of expressions of interest in Fire Station No. 1 came before the previous council in December and discussion of the issue continued beyond the usual 10 p.m. cut-off time. A motion to entertain expressions of interest was moved and seconded, but on that occasion as well, Bernard raised alarm bells.

"Now, it is late and I don't think I'm dreaming, but I do believe at an earlier meeting we decided that we would not disclose or call for expression of interest in this property until after we had determined where fire station No. 1 was going to be located. Am I dreaming?" he asked at the time.

As a result of his objection, the previous council passed a second motion to table the original motion to accept expressions of interest until a location for the new fire station had been identified. Bernard told follow councillors Monday night the most recent motion to accept an expression of interest went against the tabling motion.

"Council had moved that we table until the location of the new fire station is established ... I guess the critical information is the tense of the motion, which is ... into the future ... The fact that we do not have a location for Fire Station No. 1 ... violates the spirit of that particular motion, so I'm going to move that this recommendation be tabled until the location of the new fire station is established," he said.

Bernard, Coun. Joan Cripps, Coun. Michael (Tanker) Malley and Coun. Brian King voted for the new tabling motion. Mayor Gerry Cormier, Burchill, Trevors, Coun. Jason Harris and Coun. Bill Treadwell voted against it.

Following that vote, council passed the motion to accept expressions of interest, pending ratification at the regular council meeting scheduled for last night.