Crews are now pouring concrete for the foundation of Prince George's new Fire Hall No. 1 and expect to begin installing the structural beams and columns next week.
“Over the next few months the structural steel goes up and that is quite a sight to see and you will get a sense of how large the building is,” says project manager Leland Hanson. “After that some milestones to look for would be the building envelop filled in, the steelwork and the roof and windows.”
Crews are also currently constructing a new water main that will run from the intersection of Massey Drive and Carney Street to the Fire Hall construction site.
In addition, bricklayers are arriving this week to begin the “blockwork” that will make up the walls of the facility.
Later this fall, construction of the roof will begin.
However, the new fire hall means changes are coming for it’s neighbour, the YMCA of Northern B.C., as drivers will have to access the building through a new entrance.
As of Monday, Oct. 14, the existing access to the YMCA will no longer be accessible.
Instead, the new entrance to the YMCA will be off Del Laverdure Way on the south side of the facility off Massey Drive, directly across from Masich Place Stadium.
“The Y is really excited to see the fire hall to be here, we know it’s a really important thing for our community,” says YMCA of Northern B.C. CEO Amanda Alexander. “In terms of our members and our childcare parents we are trying to get out there and educate and let them know the big change is happening this upcoming Monday where our exits and entranced will be changing.”
She says they will install markings on the pavement to help people and guide the flow of traffic through the facility parking lot.
“The parking stays the same, it just changes the way people come in and out,” adds Alexander.
The replacement of Fire Hall No. 1 follows a referendum in Oct. 2017, during which residents voted nearly 83 per cent in favour of re-building the Hall, which is more than 60 years old.
The new fire hall will be about 60 per cent larger than the current facility and have the capacity to house a modern emergency operations and fire operations communications centres.
The new location is more centralized and will increase the area firefighters are able to reach within the critical eight-minute response time.
In 2018, the city appointed HCMA Architects and Planning of Vancouver and an engineering design team led by L&M Engineering of Prince George to design the replacement Fire Hall No. 1 at the new location in Carrie Jane Gray Park.
The new fire hall is expected to be completed by Fall 2020.
