Bids opened

Consecon’s $1.3 million fire station. Not visible in the rendering is Consecon’s landmark water tower.

Council to take next step toward new firehall in Consecon

Acommittee of council will be asked on Thursday to approve a tender to build a new, four-bay firehall in Consecon, according to a County staff report. The selected bid is for $1,285,500, plus HST. It is a shade under the $1.3 million estimated in the 2014 budget.

It is also about five per cent lower than the original plan.

“Rigorous attention to configuration” has enabled the County fire department to fulfill its needs for a four-bay hall, training facility and a pair of offices within the 6,179 square-foot building.

Six firms submitted bids in June to build the firehall . They were evaluated by architectural consultants, and Dalren Limited of Cobourg was selected as the lowest bid for consideration. Another firm had submitted a lower bid, but later withdrew it after recognizing it had made a significant omission. Along with other issues, it resulted in that bid being ruled out for consideration.

Prices for the Consecon firehall ranged from Dalren’s bid, at almost $1.3 million, to more than $1.6 million.

Bidders had also been asked to provide a separate price for the purchase and installation of a backup generator for the facility. Bids for this equipment ranged from $27,500 to $67,000. None were accepted.

Instead, County staff will source the generator separately, spending no more than $35,000.

The municipality intends to finance the Consecon firehall project by issuing a 20- year debenture. The current interest paid on such debentures is about 3.5 per cent.

The report indicates the firehall may be built by February next year.

The Consecon firehall is one of two new stations to get the green light by council this year. Last month, council approved plans to build an eight-bay station on industrial development land in Picton.

The Consecon firehall is designed to replace two stations—one in Hillier and the other in Consecon. The new hall will be built on the northwest corner of Loyalist Parkway and Scoharie Road (County Road 1), adjacent to the water tower. This gives fire crews the ability to be dispatched in every direction, without navigating neighbourhood streets.