Maryhill will have a brand spanking new fire hall next year, with Woolwich council this week awarding a $1.6-million contract to carry out the project.
Domm Construction Ltd. was the lower of two bids received, Thomas van der Hoff, the township’s manager of operations and projects, told councillors meeting May 30.
The new 5,200-square-foot building will replace the aging 1966 structure located at 17 St. Charles St. E. The final price tag is some $200,000 higher than budgeted due to some additions beyond the winning bid’s specifications, including upgraded windows, the addition of a mezzanine and paving the parking lot.
The decision caps a back-and-forth debate over whether to rehabilitate the current facility, which has a host of deficiencies, or build from scratch on the site.
“I’m glad to see that this building is being built rather than renovated. I never did like the idea of renovating that building because of the costs – they just kept escalating,” said Coun. Larry Shantz.
Both he and fellow Ward 3 Coun. Murray Martin had been skeptical of staff’s calls for renovating, arguing that would be more costly than a new facility and still leave deficiencies despite fixing the structural problems.
Construction is slated to begin in August, with completion in February.
