Delta's new fire hall and training centre at Boundary Bay Airport inched a step closer to reality this week with several major contracts awarded, although the final price tag for the facility is still not known.
At a special meeting of Delta council Monday morning, a $624,400 contract was approved for a supplier to provide beams and decking, a $197,000 contract was awarded for a company to install the material and a contract for just over $1 million was awarded for asphalt work.
A report to council notes the financial implications of the project are not known but there will be greater certainty once other construction tenders close in late September.
During discussion of the project this week, Coun. Bruce McDonald, noting the project is being handled in a different way than past contract awards, said council was "blindsided" by the escalating costs.
CAO George Harvie acknowledged they are experiencing an "escalation in pricing" that is making him "nervous." Once the other bids are in, a funding strategy will be devised, he explained.
Council was also told the installer and supplier are working in conjunction with design specialists to reduce the costs.
Mayor Lois Jackson said they don't want to start scrimping but want use their budget wisely.
The original budget for the project was just over $8 million but that has since risen to $9.6 million.
Some of that increase is due to additions since the original scope was conceived, including more square footage.
So far, Delta hasn't had much luck landing government grants to help pay for the facility.
The combined fire hall and training centre is to be constructed on a 1.3-hectare (3.29-acre) area at the southwest corner of 80th and Churchill streets.
It was originally slated as a 12,739-square-foot building that will also include a post-disaster emergency operations centre, corporate training centre and fire training facility.
According to Delta, the central location allows for efficient emergency response to Boundary Bay Airport, provincial highways and all areas of Delta, while the abundant space and lack of nearby residential population makes it an ideal site for fire training exercises.
Civil works are to start later this month and occupancy is set for November 2018.
Meanwhile, the former Fire Hall No. 4 at the northwest corner of 96th Street and Ladner Trunk Road will soon have new life.
Built in 1962 and used as a volunteer hall until June 2010, it was rezoned by Delta council in May to allow commercial/service station use. Since then, the property has been sold but a development proposal has yet to be submitted to municipal hall.
The property is in the Agricultural Land Reserve but due to its small size was not subject to an ALR exclusion.
