The first and largest contract for work on Salt Spring’s new fire hall has been awarded, according to Salt Spring Island Fire Protection District (SSIFPD) CAO Rodney Dieleman — and the work, valued at over $1.2 million, will be done by a local contractor.
Charlie’s Excavating was the successful bidder for the civil works contract on the site, Dieleman said, including leveling, drainage, water and sewer, electrical conduits and the parking lots.
“It’s good for [Salt Spring’s] economy, and it was competitive,” Dieleman told the SSIFPD board Monday, April 15. “They will not have to haul heavy equipment across on the ferries, they’re familiar with the island, and they have local labour, local transportation and local dump sites.”
Islanders can expect to see activity at the worksite this week, according to officials; Dieleman told the board the new fire hall’s road access permit application was sent to the Ministry of Transportation on March 21, a Capital Regional District (CRD) sewer connection has been applied for and was granted — with designs reviewed and approved by CRD engineers — and final drawings for the fire hall project itself were submitted to the CRD building inspector on April 3.
The CRD’s building permit process is expected to take six to eight weeks, according to Dieleman.