Work on constructing the new Osoyoos fire hall has been progressing rapidly and the project is nearing completion. (Richard McGuire photo)
The new fire hall that will ensure quality fire protection services to the residents of Osoyoos and the surrounding area for at least the next 50 years is only days away from opening.
The $6 million fire hall that will be home to the Osoyoos Fire Department – which includes Fire Chief Rick Jones and a crew of roughly 30 volunteers – started construction last November and is in the final stages of completion.
Jones, who has been a volunteer firefighter for 35 years and fire chief in Osoyoos since 2006, said he and his volunteer members are very excited and are counting down the days until they can move into their impressive new home.
The new fire hall is located on 74th Avenue, just west of Hwy. 97.
A referendum that was held in conjunction with the last B.C. municipal election in the fall of 2014 saw 58 per cent of Osoyoos residents vote in favour of borrowing just under $6 million to pay for the construction of a new fire hall.
The Osoyoos Fire Department has been operating out of cramped quarters at its current home on Main Street adjacent to town hall for more than 20 years.
“Oh yeah … we would all really like to see it open so all of our guys can finally get a peak at what it looks like,” he said. “Because the final stages of construction are still going on, most of our members haven’t been able to get inside to get a good look, but we’re only a couple of weeks away now and everyone is excited.”
No date has been set (as of Tuesday) to hold an official grand opening celebration, but Jones hinted he believes it will take place during the first or second week of November.
“We haven’t set anything in stone because there’s always something that could go wrong,” he said. “There’s about two weeks to go from what I’ve been told, so then we’ll sit down and set a date (for the grand opening) and go from there.”
Jones has visited the construction site on an almost weekly basis over the past couple of months and said he couldn’t help but be impressed by the facility.
Greyback Construction has done a fabulous job putting the building together and the new Osoyoos fire hall will offer a state-of-the-art facility that will serve the needs of local residents and volunteers for generations to come, said Jones.
“I know all of our volunteers are pretty excited to get inside and get a feel for the place,” he said. “It’s a very impressive building from what I’ve seen and you can feel the excitement knowing we’re only a couple of weeks away from moving in.”
Barry Romanko, the chief administrative officer for the Town of Osoyoos, said it’s rare that a project of this size and scope gets built on time and on budget, but that hasn’t been an issue with the new fire hall.
“Considering this is a large project, it has gone very smoothly,” said Romanko. “We had a bit of a late start last November because of some bad weather, but once things got rolling, it has moved along very well.”
Senior management with Greyback have been “wonderful to work with” and have addressed every single concern put forward by the town during the past 12 months of construction, he said.
Romanko and other senior administrators with the town met with Greyback officials less than two weeks ago to ensure the final stages of construction would go smoothly and Romanko is confident the keys to the building will be turned over to the town by the end of October.
“There’s still a couple of minor items that have to be taken care of, but it appears the project will be finished on time (around the last day in October),” he said.
The town is leaving the date for the official grand opening in the hands of Jones and his volunteer members, said Romanko.
“There might be a soft opening to officially open the building and then perhaps a grand opening in the spring, where members of the public can come in and take a look,” he said. “We’ll leave that in the hands of the fire department.”
The new fire hall is impressive and will serve the fire protection needs of this community for decades to come, he said.
“Six million dollars is a lot of money, but we got good value for the dollar,” he said. “It’s a very impressive facility.”
Not only will the volunteer members operate out of a state-of-the-art fire hall, but an adjacent training centre should encourage more volunteers to step forward to join, he said.
Well-known retired contractor Herb Wycherley has visited the construction site on a regular basis for the past several months to represent the town and has given glowing reports about the job done by Greyback, said Romanko.
Mayor Sue McKortoff said she’s also excited about the pending opening of the new fire hall.
“It’s looking good from everything I’ve seen,” she said.
McKortoff agreed that most projects of this size often run into delays and cost overruns, but thankfully that hasn’t happened with this project.
“I’ve been told we’re on time and on budget and that’s obviously very good news,” she said. “There were a few problems and delays at the very beginning, but those have all been taken care of and we’re all really looking forward to the new fire hall opening in a couple of weeks.”
The leaders of this community are hoping to attract more residents and being able to offer first-class fire protection services is crucial in attracting new residents, she said.
“I think it’s so important to be able to provide quality fire protection services,” she said. “Our volunteers have done a wonderful job working out of an old facility and will do an even better job working out of their new hall and having access to the best equipment and training.”
The opening of the new fire hall will also play a key role in attracting new and younger volunteer members, she said.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
Work on constructing the new Osoyoos fire hall has been progressing rapidly and the project is nearing completion. (Richard McGuire photo)
Work on constructing the new Osoyoos fire hall has been progressing rapidly and the project is nearing completion. (Richard McGuire photo)
