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Fire hall, public works building will be built in Faro

Wildstone Construction Ltd. awarded contract
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A Faro volunteer fire department truck in 2008. In a virtual press conference on Feb. 15, Yukon MP Larry Bagnell, territorial Community Services Minister John Streicker and Faro Mayor Leonard Fabor announced the Town of Faro will have a new public works and fire hall building in 2022. (Genesee Keevil/Yukon News file)

The Town of Faro will have a new public works and fire hall building in 2022.

In a virtual announcement Feb. 15, Yukon MP Larry Bagnell, territorial Community Services Minister John Streicker and Faro Mayor Leonard Fabor expressed their excitement that the project will now go ahead.

“I’m a very happy mayor here,” Fabor said. “I am thrilled this project is being given a second chance.”

In August 2019, the territory cancelled the tender for the construction of the building after bids came in over the $12.2-million budget. Government officials did not say exactly how much over budget bids were.

Wildstone Construction Ltd. was awarded the construction contract earlier in February.

Efforts between the town and territory saw the project scaled back with some features — including some rooms and design features — taken out to help bring the price down while still meeting the needs of the community.

The 1,543-square-metre new structure — which will replace the town’s public works building and fire hall — will include seven vehicle bays, staff offices, shared meeting rooms, storage, a morgue and decontamination areas.

It’s designed to exceed minimum energy standards by 25 per cent. In-floor radiant heat and air curtains will be installed to minimize heat loss, with the building designed to accommodate future installation of solar power.

The federal government is providing $8.8 million for the project through the Small Communities Fund with the territory providing $2.9 million.

“Residents of the Town of Faro will benefit from this state-of-the-art building that will house vital fire response equipment and personnel, as well as essential public works staff and equipment needed in the community,” Bagnell said. “This project to consolidate the fire hall and public works building is an efficient use of resources and goes to show just how municipal, territorial and federal governments can partner to bring these projects to reality, to the benefit of the community.”

Fabor said the project will also see the demolition of the current public works building, which was built from a Quonset hut that was put in place when the town was established in 1965.

He described it as being “way beyond repair.”

While he didn’t have the date that the current fire hall was built, he said the community would repurpose the building for use.

Construction of the new public works and fire hall building will begin this year and is expected to be completed in late summer of 2022.

Contact Stephanie Waddell at stephanie.waddell@yukon-news.com



Stephanie Waddell

About the Author: Stephanie Waddell

I joined Black Press in 2019 as a reporter for the Yukon News, becoming editor in February 2023.
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