A report going to Saanich council tonight pegs the cost of renovating one of the local fire halls at nearly $500,000.
Staff are recommending Saanich hire Farmer Construction to renovate Fire Hall No. 3 at a cost of $465,080 (excluding GST), the lowest of the five bids received. The highest bid came from Casman Projects at $614,093, with three remaining almost identical bids from Island West ($497,092), Kinetic Construction ($499,200) and B.L.T. Construction ($499,222).
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The renovations appear significant, according to a memo to council from Harley Machielse, director of engineering.
“The work planned for the fire hall includes renovating the front reception, officers’ quarters, kitchen, lounge/dining area, dormitory/training area and washrooms,” he said. “The work also includes a new electrical and storage room on the exterior of the fire hall.”
According to Saanich’s own Strategic Facilities Master Plan, Fire Hall No. 3 does not rank as top priority, ranking fourth on the list of facilities in need of upgrades. Saanich’s parks and public works yard, Fire Hall No. 2 and the police station occupy the first three spots.
This said, the same report finds that Fire Hall No. 3. is already operating at 189 per cent of capacity. Only Fire Hall No. 2 has a worse rating, operating at 352 per cent of capacity.