Emergency exit from Upper Tantallon via NS Powerland is not possible, says alderman

One location for an emergency exit near where the Upper Tantallon bushfire started has been ruled out, but the councilor is confident there are “enough” other options.

Some Westwood Hills residents have long hoped that a bridge could be built at the end of Wright Lake Run in the northwest end of the subdivision. An exit there would go over Nova Scotia Power lands and eventually connect to service roads that would lead south under Highway 103.

But Halifax Regional Council Area Councilman Pam Lovelace said Nova Scotia Power personnel have told her this is “not an appropriate exit area.”

“Having some of those conversations with private property owners allows the council to focus our attention on … possible routes, and knowing that Wright Lake Run will not be a route — we can now focus our efforts elsewhere,” Lovelace said . Monday.

Westwood Hills is located off Hammonds Plains Road – about 15 miles northwest of Halifax. Officials have said more than 200 buildings were destroyed in the wildfire, including about 150 homes.

The area isn’t ideal because there’s a dam and other infrastructure near the former bridge, Lovelace said, and Nova Scotia Power has told her the service roads need major upgrades to handle vehicular traffic, let alone fire trucks.

Lovelace said there are “plenty of options” on the west side of the community to create access to Highway 103, and negotiations are likely to continue with private landowners or Nova Scotia Power to find an ideal location.

She also said there may be options from the eastern end of the neighborhood to connect to White Hills near Hammonds Plains.

“Everyone is trying to figure out the best and most appropriate route of entry,” Lovelace said. “It’s a priority.”

In 2016, county wildfire prevention officer Kara McCurdy determined that the north end of Westwood Hills was at “extreme” risk, while the southern portions were at high and moderate risk.

Her conservation plan made a number of recommendations, including building a gated emergency road to Wright Lake Run, installing dry hydrants since there are none, and creating a community buffer of thinned trees around the subdivision. Dry hydrants are connected to a water supply such as a lake where a municipal system is not available.

Lovelace said staff are now working on tree management in Westwood, while Halifax Fire has begun talking to private landowners with access to the lake about the possibility of installing a dry hydrant on their property.

But Westwood resident Nick Horne, who spent years building a road along Wright Lake Run for recreational access and safety, said he is confused about Nova Scotia Power’s stance.

Horne said in 2016 that an agreement was drawn up between Nova Scotia Power and the Westwood Hills Residents Association that was never completed. The contract template, which was shared with CBC, would have allowed the Westwood Hills group to “install and maintain a bridge and path” as long as the community kept it in good condition and assumed various costs and liability.

“I am disappointed that Nova Scotia Power is not taking community safety seriously in light of such a great safety record as a company,” Horne said.

Agreement never for emergency exit: NSP

In an email Monday, Nova Scotia Power spokesperson Kathryn O’Neill said the 2016 request was about building a bridge to access the land for recreational purposes, “not an emergency exit.”

“Safety is our absolute top priority at Nova Scotia Power. While we have not been approached or involved in more recent discussions, we are open to further engagement and collaboration with residents and stakeholders in the area to facilitate land access if and when there is a need be determined,” O’Neill said.

City officials are also coordinating with the county to see if Crown lands can be used for exits in Westwood and elsewhere.

Notification coming up for all HRM exit routes

Lovelace said she was pleased to receive a letter last Friday from Prime Minister Tim Houston confirming that both levels of government should work together on the issue. Houston wrote that “the county will work with HRM to provide county lands to the council for use in constructing additional access points” for high-risk neighborhoods with only one entrance and exit.

“It should be a concern for every subdivision … across the province, so I was pleased to see the Prime Minister understand the importance of working and working with municipalities,” Lovelace said.

Officials are also looking into how much it would cost to install exits in similar areas in the regional municipality and a report is expected before the end of the year.