Work to expand Stettler regional fire station by 1,290 square feet could start this month and be ready before next winter to provide more space for storage and training.
At its regular meeting April 6, Town of Stettler council approved an extra $315,067 for the project estimated at $669,154.
Council awarded the tender to Shunda Consulting & Construction Management of Red Deer for $457,000, the lowest of nine bids to add the extension on the south side of the building and to renovate the current facilities.
“We want to get this project done,” said Mayor Dick Richards.
With funding of $230,437 from the Alberta Municipal Sponsorship Program and the County of Stettler’s contribution of $123,650, the project required a further $315,067 from the town.
“This is what we need to complete the project,” said Fire Chief Mark Dennis of Stettler Regional Fire Rescue, who met with the contractor after the council meeting last week to plot the schedule and timelines for the project.
To provide more space, the project includes an addition to move the existing maintenance area to the rear and enlarge the existing training room to 18-by-35 feet as the major component of the project.
Among some of the other items included in the project are an exhaust ventilation system for the truck area, air conditioning in the training room and installation of a fire hydrant on the site to utilize for training.
In the course of the discussion during the council meeting, local town and fire-rescue officials strongly expressed the need to regionalize the fire service with the town and county that would make funding more equitable for both municipalities.
“They are definitely interested in a region service and we are moving closer to that,” said Fire Chief Dennis.
“Now is the time to move to a regional service,” said Mayor Dick Richards.
County of Stettler council approved funding of $175,400 for expansion at its regular meeting April 14.
The approved amount will cover the county’s half of the construction as well as purchase of a breathing air compressor.
Originally built in 1981, the current station houses one county fire engine, one tanker, one joint-rescue unit, two town fire engines and one aerial truck.