BONNYVILLE – The wheels are now in motion when it comes to preparing for essential renovations needed for the Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority (BRFA) to move its headquarters and its emergency service divisions under one roof at the Kopala building.
“I am happy to say as of Dec. 23, our tender went live on the Alberta provincial tendering site,” confirmed Regional Fire Chief Dan Heney.
The BRFA will be moving Station 5 Bonnyville, Bonnyville Ambulance Services and 911 Services to the new location once renovations to the facility are done.
“Now we are just waiting on bids for the building renos and we're hoping to get started before the spring thaw,” said the fire chief.
In a previous interview with Lakeland This Week, Heney said the necessary upgrades to construction will be done in four phases over a period of 18 months.
These renovations and upgrades will include connecting the building to municipal water and sewer, installing Next Generation 911 (NG911) compliant communications fibre and backup copper lines, as well as groundwork and paving, among many other interior renovations to accommodate all emergency service providers.
The entire project will likely cost between $3 to $4 million and will be paid for by the fire authority, according to Heney. Funding for the 911 Centre portion of the project already has money set aside for the relocation.
The BRFA will be responsible for all the renovation costs associated with upgrading the Kopala building to facilitate Bonnyville’s emergency services.
