West 麻豆精选鈥檚 fire chief has clarified the contingency fund balance for the new Fire Hall #32.
At Tuesday鈥檚 (Apr. 22) council meeting, Jason Brolund said the contingency is $130,000 and not the $48,000 previously stated in a staff report.
鈥淭his is a report that concluded at the end of March,鈥� he added. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had, I think, four meetings since this time with the construction team and our team from Collier鈥檚 (project leaders) and I can report that the contingency is at a higher number today than it was when this report was written.鈥�
Brolund attributed the change to favourable pricing and design decisions.
"That were made to potentially compromise in some areas in order to make sure that we have a contingency that will see us to the end. We鈥檒l provide the next report to council next quarter and update where that contingency is.鈥�
The report stated that the contingency for the under construction fire hall dropped to $48,000 from $300,000. This was mainly due to unforeseen costs to move a BC Hydro power pole and overhead lines located in front of the fire hall. The cost to move them is 鈥渦pwards of $200,000."
Another unanticipated cost is related to new legislative requirements that mandate flushable toilets and hot water be available for workers at job sites. These costs are estimated at $50,000.
The city has also been provided an updated appliance package that exceeds preliminary cash allowances. The impact is an additional $28,000.
The original report shows that cash allowances and estimates are running over budget, and a few change orders from contractors still don鈥檛 have final pricing. Staff is reviewing what's left in the cash allowances and contingency fund to find savings and lock in costs.
The new fire hall, being built in the Lakeview Heights neighbourhood, includes sport courts, a playground, pickleball facilities, a community centre building and public green space.
It鈥檚 expected substantial completion of the project will now be six days overdue (Sept. 24), a change from the last update in January when it was deemed on-track.
The cost for the new fire hall is $14.3 million. It includes $8 million being borrowed by the city, reserve funds ($3.8 million), parks development cost charges ($1.18 million), Growing Communities Fund ($1.17 million), and $150,000 from developer contributions.
In March 2024, West 麻豆精选 residents supported the city borrowing up to $8 million through the Alternative Approval Process to partially fund the project.
