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Government tries again to build Beaver Creek fire hall

Government tries again to build Beaver Creek fire hall The Yukon government is taking another swing at building a new fire hall in Beaver Creek. A construction tender for the building was issued this week.

The Yukon government is taking another swing at building a new fire hall in Beaver Creek.

A construction tender for the building was issued this week.

Last year plans were halted when bids for the project came in significantly over budget.

According to Highways and Public Works, the original construction estimate was $3.35 million. When bids came in at $4.56 million and $5.2 million, the tender was pulled and the plans were adjusted.

This newer project has a slightly lower construction estimate of $3.15 million. A number of changes have been made to the project.

“We certainly hope that with this new tender, the new bids come back within budget,” said department spokesperson Doris Wurfbaum.

The new fire hall will be smaller than its first incarnation.

The two-storey building was originally a total of 453 square metres. It is now 357 square metres, said Wurfbaum.

Along with that, the new building has three truck bays instead of four, simpler exterior walls and no landscaping.

A backup generator has also been removed from the tender.

“All fire trucks have generators on board. If there’s need for backup power in the building, these are the things that will be utilized,” Wurfbaum said.

The building will still have a radio room, a training room and new water storage.

Liberal Leader Sandy Silver questioned why the construction estimate for the new project had gone down when the original bids came in so far over budget.

“It’s projects like this that have left contractors not knowing what to expect from the government,” he said.

The old fire hall will be torn down once the new fire hall is built. The Beaver Creek Community Library, located next door, will also be demolished.

Plans are underway to renovate the school and move the library into the basement, said Wurfbaum.

The deadline for bids on the fire hall project is April 30. The project is slated to be completed by June 2015.