BONNYVILLE – Since the Kopala building was purchased by the MD of Bonnyville for $3.2 million in 2020, it has remained vacant.
After more than a year of uncertainty, the Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority (BRFA) has received the go-ahead from the MD of Bonnyville council to begin preparations to move into the 26,260 sq ft. building located just west of the Town of Bonnyville.
During a regular meeting on Feb. 9, council agreed “in principle” to transfer the former Kopala building to the BRFA.
Council then directed administration to bring back additional information about crafting agreements for repayment, and the transfer of property from the MD to the fire authority.
When the municipality purchased the building and adjacent land in the summer of 2020, they had done so with the understanding that the BRFA headquarters, Bonnyville Station 5, EMS services and the 911 Call Centre would converge in one centralized location.
At the time, the relocation of the BRFA had been approved by both the Town and MD of Bonnyville, as well as the BRFA board.
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The partnering municipalities and organization hoped the transfer of emergency services to the new facility would be completed by the fall of 2021. However, discussions between the BRFA board and Alberta Health Services (AHS) stalled the advancement of the project.
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Minutes from a June 21, 2021 meeting between AHS and the BRFA board showed the health authority had raised concerns that the move would add up to four minutes to 911 response times within the Town of Bonnyville.
The minutes also noted that provincial benchmarks for response times wouldn't be met for the town if the move went forward. Ultimately, AHS did not support the relocation of EMS.
The MD’s former reeve, Greg Sawchuck, also raised concerns following the meeting with the health organization stating there were several administrative problems that needed to be fixed before the move could take place.
Despite the viewpoint of AHS, the BRFA felt the new location would provide better efficiencies for EMS, fire and dispatch, and would be a cost-effective move.
Green light given
During a BRFA board meeting that took place earlier this month, board members recommended the fire authority move forward with the transition to the large industrial building.
The board also made a motion to pay the MD back for the $3.2 million property as they were unanimous in wanting the building to become a BRFA asset, according to Dan Heney, the regional fire chief for the BRFA.
The BRFA board is made up of the Town of Bonnyville's mayor, the MD of Bonnyville’s reeve and two councillors from each municipality.
Before the emergency services are able to relocate to the new building, extensive renovations will need to take place. This will likely be done in four phases over a period of 18 months, according to Heney.
“Phase 1 would see the BRFA Administration moving in, Phase 2 would see EMS Operations moving in, Phase 3 would see the 911 Centre moving in, and finally BRFA Station 5 Bonnyville moving in,” explained Heney.
For these phases to begin, key elements such as connecting the building to municipal water and sewer, installing Next Generation 911 (NG911) compliant communications fiber and backup copper lines, as well as groundwork and paving are needed, among many other interior renovations to accommodate all emergency service providers.
“It’s a big project,” said Heney. “The entire project will likely be between $3 to 4 million, however, the 911 Centre portions of the renos already have money set aside.”
The BRFA will be responsible for financing the renovations to get the new facility move-in ready, according to discussions that took place at both the MD council meeting and the BRFA board meeting.
Farewell to Smurf Castle
The facility that currently houses the BRFA’s administration and Station 5 located on 44 St. and 50 Ave. in Bonnyville, is owned by the Town.
It is unclear what will be done with the building – affectionately referred to as “Smurf Castle” by some due to the building's blue hue – once the fire authority relocates in the next two years.
