By Lorne Eckersley
With requests for proposals nearly ready to send out to the five “pre-qualified contractors” (including one local firm) for the new fire hall on Cook Street, site preparation is now underway.
“The site prep work being done has been asked for and authorized by the Town,” Mayor Ron Toyota said on Friday. “The debris is being hauled and stored on Town property for use when we need it on other jobs.”
Toyota couldn’t help but feel frustrated by the delay caused by the defeat of a proposal to borrow for the new construction in the first referendum.
“My observation is that had we started construction with a successful first referendum, our new emergency building would have been almost complete now and could have been used for this unfortunate global pandemic. It is interesting to note that with our first responders, trying to keep them physically distanced is tougher to do with our outdated fire hall,” he added.
A new fire hall of approximately 14,000 square feet will also be the future centre for all emergency operations.