Adults got a look at the most recent plans for a new fire hall, and their kids got the chance to hit a traffic cone with a jet of water from a fire hose as Pitt Meadows Fire and Rescue Services held an open house on Saturday, to mark Fire Prevention Week.
Consultants, city staff and politicians were on hand to show the public the new building, which will be three storeys above ground with a level of underground parking. It will replace the existing fire hall on 122A Avenue, near Harris Road, which opened in 1983. It will include an emergency operations centre, and is being built to allow the department room to grow over the next 50 years, said Fire Chief Mike Larsson.
The design drawings for the building are being developed into detailed construction ducuments which will be used for tendering and construction of the project. The cost is an estimated $13.2 to $14.9 million.
City director of engineering Samantha Maki said there was a $10 million fund to replace the fire hall, and that combined with city reserves will allow the city to build it with no tax implications.
“We’re trying to reduce the scope wherever we can, and not compromise quality,” she said.
Council will see an update toward the end of the year. In the second quarter of 2020, approximately April, the new project will be put to tender.
Construction should take approximately two years, ending in the third quarter of 2022.
Larsson said the new design should fit into the neighbourhood well, and in the early going on Saturday he had only heard supportive comments from the public.
Firefighters, who were on hand to meet the public, are especially happy to see the project moving forward.
“We’re very cramped here, and getting dressed (into turnout gear) beside the trucks. They really are excited. We’ve outgrown this (hall) 10 or 15 years ago.”
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