On Jan. 22, Rocky View County council approved an $8.3-million contract for the new Bearspaw Firehall expected to open in the fall of 2014.
During the meeting, councillors noted their concern for the ever-growing price tag for the facility, which was originally estimated to cost $4.5 million when first announced last year.
“These costs seem to be going up,” noted Lois Habberfield when council was asked to award the building contract.
She wanted to know what was included in the price and whether or not Rocky View could expect more funding requests as the project continued.
Staff confirmed the cost includes the hall, the roads surrounding it, equipment and the new entrances for the facility, located at the intersection of highways 1A and 766.
The building will be the same size and design as the Elbow Valley Fire Station #101 that opened last fall for $3.8 million. The Elbow Valley Fire Station was built near Highway 8 and utilities and road access were already available. The Bearspaw Fire hall will need about 500 metre of road and 500 metre of piping, driving the price up.
It will be 11,620 square feet and consist of two apparatus bays; a multi-function hose-drying tower equipped for training and rescue simulations; and incorporates a sustainable design with energy efficient lights and water fixtures.
It is designed to blend with the existing community and is intended to appear as a firehouse rather than a traditional commercial structure.
Cana Construction Ltd. was awarded the building contract and is expected to begin as soon as the weather permits.
Funding will come from $6 million in provincial grants with another $2.3 million from County taxpayers out of the capital budget. Council approved a borrowing bylaw for the $2.3 million last week for a period of five years.
“Although I’m sick at the price of this, I believe this needs to be done,” said Councillor Margaret Bahcheli.
Habberfield said while the cost is high, what gives her comfort is that the building will service the community and others, including Bearspaw, Balzac and Springbank for many years to come.
She said council’s first priority is ensuring safe communities and believes this is needed.
Historically, the City of Calgary has provided emergency services to Bearspaw. This service is expected to run out at the end of June. Councillor Al Sacuta asked who would respond to emergencies during the time between when the contract with Calgary ends and the new firehall opens.
“We will ask Calgary if they will extend (the contract) to cover us until we open,” said Acting County Manager Ted Gard. He said a similar agreement was made during the construction phase of the Elbow Valley Firehall, adding he doesn’t anticipate any issues with extending the contract for Bearspaw.
He estimates about six house fires occurred in Rocky View County in the last year.
The breakdown of the $8.3-million budget is as follows:
• Main building construction – $3.9 million
• Onsite grading, services and landscaping – $670,000
• Fire Apparatus –$1.2 million
• Offsite shallow and deep-utility serving and road construction – $1.44 million
• Engineering, architectural and third-party consulting – $435,000
• Transportation levy, subdivision fees, permitting – $67,087
• Project contingency – $651,566
