Construction of the new fire hall should begin sometime later this fall after council ratified third reading of a borrowing and construction bylaw at town council's regular meeting last week. It should be done by the end of September 2012.
The cost of the hall is estimated at $3.2 million.
“We're very excited. This will suit our needs. The fire department's outgrown the (current) building,” said Lorne Thompson, Olds fire chief.
Nord International of Lethbridge was chosen to build the hall because they will use pre-fabricated concrete blocks, which will reduce construction waste, Thompson said. With concrete, there is less construction waste as well.
“We were not looking for something extravagant, we wanted it to work,” he told councillors.
The building's lifespan is estimated at about 50 years. Thompson said if growth occurs at the corner of the Queen Elizabeth II Highway and Highway 27, a satellite fire station may be set up there, but that growth is unknown at this point.
The walls will have an insulation factor of R-20 while the roof will have an insulation factor of R-30.
Thompson said the deciding factor in choosing Nord International was their ability to do concrete construction rather than steel.
“The concrete panel comes ready-done. They come onto site, build the steel structure … and they just literally lift them up with a crane and drop them into place. Once the panel is in place, it's already insulated and done. The long-term benefits, zero maintenance. We'll pay a little more up front now, but 20 years from now we're not having to put money aside to re-side it or redo the interior,” he said.
The other advantage to concrete is it doesn't heat up (or cool off). That places less demand on the heating and ventilation system, Thompson said.
Alberta Health Services will have one bay dedicated to it, unlike at the current building, in which a bay had to be loaned to the service.
“They'll have their own security system. We'll bring their design team in to design their second floor,” he said.
AHS will lease the space based on market value.
The new building would also allow for future full-time firefighters if the town grew to a sufficient size, Thompson said.
“This building actually has that in mind. Hopefully that's years down the road,” he said.
"We're very excited. This will suit our needs. The fire department's outgrown the (current) building."Lorne Thompson, Olds fire chief
